


Delegation

by amethystfox



Series: I Could Live a Little More [20]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Aldertonghen, Anal Sex, Bets & Wagers, Blow Jobs, Degradation, Dom/sub, Everyone is Poly Because Spurs, Except maybe Winksy, Gazzaweireld, Halo (ship), Ill-advised Bet, Jazzaniga, Jinks, M/M, Oral Sex, POV: Jan, POV: Paulo, POV: Winksy, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Match, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur FC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:13:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystfox/pseuds/amethystfox
Summary: January 2020Winksy has to be punished for starting a fight during their match against Watford, but how? Jan just isn't quite sure...
Relationships: Harry Winks/Paulo Gazzaniga, Jan Vertonghen/Harry Winks, Paulo Gazzaniga/Jan Vertonghen, Paulo Gazzaniga/Toby Alderweireld, Toby Alderweireld/Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld/Paulo Gazzaniga/Jan Vertonghen
Series: I Could Live a Little More [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621807
Comments: 21
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place a few days after [This Would Be Inevitable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22861912/chapters/54641371). If you haven't already read that one, I strongly suggest you do before reading this one.
> 
> Other fics you should probably read before this one include [I Let It Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22930297/chapters/54810301), [Come Back and Haunt Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231776/chapters/55622875) and [Sandals in the Snow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532637/chapters/56442043).

22 January 2020  
London

  
  
  


_ "Jan, you know as well as I do that the fight today was his fault. He needs to be punished, yes?" _

_ "He is yours, not mine, and so it is for you to handle, not me."  _

Paulo's instructions echoed over and over in Jan's head as he made his way off the pitch and to his spot on the bench. He hadn't acted on them yet; the truth was that he hadn't been sure how. And now, well, now Winksy was injured-- not badly, Jan hoped, but still, he had had to limp off the pitch tonight. How was Jan going to bring himself to punish him now?

Of course, punishing Harry was  _ never _ easy; he was endlessly adorable, he absolutely knew it, and he was never above using it to his own advantage. Jan had been a fool for those sweet brown eyes from the start. They had always reminded him a little of Dries's eyes, which didn't really make a lot of sense when Jan thought about it-- Dries was far too naughty and sexy to come anywhere close to Harry's level of puppy dog sweetness.

Not that Harry  _ wasn't _ sexy, Jan hastily amended in his mind. That had been one of the most difficult things for him to come to grips with when their relationship had changed. Jan had looked at him as almost a younger brother for so long that he had been caught completely unawares when Harry had drunkenly kissed Jan that night last summer. All of a sudden he had been overwhelmed by desires that he'd never felt before, in more than one sense. Not just his desire for Harry, though that had been a significant part of his confusion, but the  _ way _ he found himself wanting the younger man. When he thought about Harry, he felt inflamed with the craving to take him, to possess him, to  _ own _ him. 

It had been an unsettling feeling, one that had made him desperate to stumble into Paulo's arms and beg him for help figuring it all out, but Paulo had been away then, on holiday with Patricia, and Jan had been reluctant to interrupt his holiday. It had finally come to a head when he had broken down crying while he was in bed with Sophie, and when Jan couldn't bring himself to tell her why he was so upset, she had insisted that he confide in Paulo.

Paulo had been as surprised as Jan when he heard about the things Jan found himself craving when it came to Harry. Neither of them had guessed that Jan would ever want to be anything other than the submissive in a relationship like theirs, but Jan found he couldn't shake it, the way Harry made him feel-- and what was more, he found he didn't want to.

Paulo had guided him carefully and well as he had taken his first steps with Harry as his submissive, but he had always had some difficulty with punishment. He had to be in exactly the right frame of mind, which was not always easy for him to get into. In general he much preferred seeing Harry scramble to follow his orders, especially when it involved Harry being naked-- which it usually did. 

Jan sighed as he took his seat next to Harry. Punishment wasn't nearly as fun, maybe, but he knew Paulo was right-- it had to be done. Harry had picked a fight during the previous match, a fight that had gotten Jan knocked down, earned Harry a yellow card, and set a hard tone for the rest of the match. Jan had already been having some trouble dealing with the stress of the season, and after the final whistle he had had enough. He had shouted at Toby and defied Paulo, two things he had never done before, and gone off by himself to try to avoid them all. Of course, all that had accomplished was to worry everyone that loved him, and Paulo had had to come find him and bring him home.

Jan smiled to himself, remembering how the rest of that particular evening had gone. He should have known that Paulo would go out of his way to take care of Jan when he was having a hard time, but Paulo had outdone himself that night, letting Jan top Toby for the first time-- the first time anyone but Paulo had done so. It had been something special, as it always was with Paulo.

He wished sometimes that he could always have Paulo with him, even when he was with Harry. The security, the confidence that Paulo gave him was invaluable to Jan, and there were times that he needed that in his relationship with Harry. But Harry had asked Jan early on if their time together could be just between the two of them, and Jan had a hard time denying his young boyfriend anything.

It had been difficult, navigating the challenges of learning to be the dominant one when he had always preferred submission before, but it had been worthwhile, even when he had to venture outside his comfort zone to truly punish Harry. The way Harry responded to him was incredible, the way he craved Jan's attention, his approval, his touch, was intoxicating. Harry looked at him as if he were the most perfect person in the world.

Maybe that was part of the problem, Jan mused, steadfastly ignoring Winksy's covert glances in his direction. Jan's life over the last year had been redefined by one basic principle, of ethical non-monogamy. When he and Sophie had agreed to truly open their marriage for the first time, Jan had assumed that Paulo would be the only additional partner in his life, but that had changed very quickly with the inclusion of first Toby, then Dries, and finally Harry. For the most part all of them had other partners of their own and understood how polyamourous relationships worked, were committed to putting in the work required to keep their various relationships balanced and healthy.

But the thing was, Harry didn't have any other partners. He never displayed the least bit of interest in anyone other than Jan. And while that was certainly a valid choice, when combined with his youth and general inexperience, it meant in practice that he didn't really understand how or why Jan was able to have so many different partners, or even why he would want to. It meant that Harry tended to build up resentment towards his other partners-- except for Sophie, who seemed to get a pass for some reason, possibly because she was his only publicly acknowledged partner, or because she was his legal spouse, or because she was a woman; Jan didn't know. But Harry had shown jealousy in plenty when it came to Paulo and Toby-- and the less said about his reaction to Dries, the better.

The truth was that Jan didn't really know how to address it. He was very fond of Harry and had no intention of giving him up any time soon, but no more did he plan to give up any of his other lovers, and he knew Harry would never ask him to, either. They needed to find a balance of some kind.

_ First things first, _ Jan told himself. He had to get this punishment taken care of before he could worry about anything else. He leaned in close to Harry next to him and lowered his voice just enough to not be overheard.

"Your place, after?"

Harry gave him a brief glance, heat already plain to see on his face, and nodded. Jan didn't say another word to him for the remainder of the match, but judging by the pink flush on Harry's neck, he was not the only one whose mind was far away, already at Harry's house, caught up in what would come after.

Jan tried to think ahead, to plan how he would handle punishing Harry, but he was having a difficult time coming up with anything that felt right. He didn't like improvising, but none of his usual punishments felt quite right for this occasion. It was a different sort of infraction, this time, one that had affected more than just Jan, and one that hadn't been committed for the sole purpose of getting Jan's attention. It seemed to call for something more than a simple spanking, this time.

Jan insisted on driving Winksy home, which luckily didn't raise any eyebrows, given the knock Harry had taken to the ankle. A member of staff was dispatched to follow with Harry's car, as was usual when a player couldn't drive himself home after a game.

When they arrived at Harry's house, Jan made a big deal of helping Harry into the house and then meeting the staffer to collect the car keys. Once the cab he had called pulled up to the kerb, Jan nodded once and went back into the house. He knew the staffer would just assume that Jan was going to give Harry his car keys back.

Once inside, though, he took a deep breath and went through his routine to help himself get into the mindset he needed. Activating his Dominant side wasn't the challenge; being around Harry was enough for that. But forcing himself to resist the urge to just spend hours toying with Harry was harder.  _ Business first, then fun. _

When he felt he was ready, he went into the living room, where he had deposited Harry on the couch. Winksy looked so vulnerable lying there with his ankle elevated, hair still damp from his post-match shower. He was looking up at Jan, and his eyes were full of desire, but Jan could tell he was nervous as well.  _ He looks like prey, _ something dark whispered in Jan's mind.

Jan locked eyes with Harry until the young man flushed and lowered his eyes. He usually did that, tested the boundaries at the beginning of a session. Jan wasn't sure whether it was out of a desire to encourage Jan to assert his dominance, or if Harry sometimes hoped that Jan would give in. But the challenge never failed to wake up the part of Jan that wanted to tear Harry apart, to make him beg and scream.

Jan stepped closer to the couch and ran his fingers through Harry's soft brown hair. "How's the ankle?"

"Hurts, but they think it's not actually injured. I'm just supposed to stay off it for a day or so and then they'll recheck."

"Good." Jan clenched his fist suddenly, pulling Harry's hair tight. A surprised whimper escaped Harry, but Jan didn't miss that his joggers were tenting rapidly. "We need to have a conversation, baby boy."

"Y-yes, sir," Harry said, but he looked confused.

"Can you guess what I'm going to say?"

"No, sir."

"Really? You can't think of anything you've done lately that might have made me angry with you?"

"I…" Harry looked so confused that Jan had to suppress a surge of sympathy. "I've been good lately, haven't I?"

Jan pulled tighter, tipping Harry's head towards him, and bent to bring his mouth within range of Harry's ear. "Even on the pitch?"

Harry made an indignant little noise that changed into a whimper when Jan caught hold of one of his nipples through the shirt he was wearing and pinched firmly. "N-no, sir, but--"

"But what?"

"I just-- I mean, it's not fair to punish me for what happens on the pitch, is it? How can I play if I have to worry about being good?"

"I'm not asking you to change the way you play, Winksy. But I do expect you to keep a better grip on your temper. We don't need you getting sent off because you felt like you had to pick a fight."

Harry's sweet face was sullen now. "Yes, sir."

Jan raised an eyebrow. "You have more to say?"

"I didn't mean for you to get hurt," he muttered.

"No, but you didn't stop to think about it, did you?"

"You didn't have to jump in the middle of it, though," Harry said, and there was definitely a note of defiance in his voice now.

"Didn't I?" Jan asked, his voice dropping into a growl. "You thought I would just watch you get into a fight and not try to stop it?"

Harry mumbled something too quietly for Jan to catch. He frowned and gave Harry's head a gentle shake. "What was that?"

Harry's jaw had that stubborn set to it now, one that Jan knew meant he didn't intend to yield. "I said, sometimes I can't tell."

"You can't tell what?"

"If you even know I'm there," Harry snapped. "I mean, if the fight was such a problem, why didn't you do this then? Why wait four days?"

"Because I had my own problems to deal with," Jan shot back, his temper beginning to rise. "Did you forget I got a yellow card of my own? Made Paulo have to save a penalty?"

Harry's eyes hardened in a way Jan hadn't seen on him before. "How could I forget," he said bitterly. "Perfect Paulo saved the day."

Jan let his hand drop from Harry's hair and dropped into a crouch beside Harry, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This  _ again, _ Harry?"

"What?" Harry asked defensively. "You think he's perfect, don't you?"

"This isn't about Paulo--" Jan started to say, but Harry cut him off with a sarcastic laugh.

"It's  _ always _ about Paulo, though, isn't it? Did you go home with him after the last game? Get down on your knees for him?"

Jan ground his teeth, fighting down the urge to slap Harry. If he hadn't been laid up, maybe, but Jan couldn't stomach hurting him when he was already hurt.

"No," he growled. "Actually, I didn't go home with him. I wanted to be by myself, so I yelled at Toby, ignored Paulo, and left."

Harry's jaw dropped. "You… what?"

Jan sighed. "Paulo told Toby that he expected both of us to be at his house when he got home after the match, but when Toby tried to tell me, I told him to fuck off."

"I thought… I thought when you didn't say anything to me after that game, it was because you were too busy thinking about Paulo," Harry admitted. "I didn't think you'd have just gone home by yourself."

"I didn't," Jan said quietly.

"You-- what?"

"I didn't go home, either. Couldn't face being around anyone then."

Harry opened his mouth, closed it again. Finally he hesitantly asked, "Where did you go then?"

Jan shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I was off somewhere feeling sorry for myself, and Paulo came and found me. He was worried about me, and so was Sophie, and Toby."

"I would have been too, if I'd known," Harry said immediately.

Jan had to laugh at that, at how fierce Harry was about his love for Jan, even when they were arguing-- fierce, but cute at the same time, like a Rottweiler puppy. "I know, baby." He leaned in to kiss Harry gently. "I just wish I knew how to get you past this jealousy thing. If it wasn't for Paulo, you and I wouldn't be together at all, you know."

"I know," Harry admitted. "I just…" He broke off and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "I just wish… I mean, you're enough for me. I just wish sometimes that I could be enough for you."

Guilt twisted like a knife inside of Jan. He had known that Harry felt this way, of course, but this was the first time Harry had actually said so out loud.

"It's not…" Jan started, trying to think of how to explain it to Harry. "It's not that you're not enough, baby. It's not about  _ enough, _ really. I mean, if it were, then Sophie wouldn't be enough for me, and I wouldn't be enough for her either, but that's not how it is. It's just different, is all. Everyone I love is different, makes me feel different things, and that's amazing. Just because I love Paulo doesn't mean I love Sophie any less, or Toby, or you--"

Harry sat up on the couch so suddenly that Jan almost fell over backwards. "You-- what? You… you love me?"

Jan hadn't really meant to say that. He'd been struggling with it for months now, fighting off the guilt he always carried over his relationship with Harry. He had spent so much time worrying about it, knowing how much Harry loved him, worrying that he'd never be able to return it properly.

But now that he had said it…

"Yes," he said, suddenly sick of worrying about it. What did it matter, how uncertain the future might be for them? He was tired of letting his fear get in the way. "I maybe didn't really realise it before, but... I do. I love you."

Harry's entire face lit up with such a brilliant smile that it was almost painful to look at. "I love you too," he said quickly, as if he couldn't possibly get the words out fast enough. "I love you so much, Jan, I have for ages, I--"

Jan cut him off with a kiss, and another, and another. Harry responded with more enthusiasm than ever before, overwhelming any other thought in Jan's mind.  _ Harry, _ his heart sang.  _ Harry. _

Jan scooped Harry up off the couch and carried him off to the bedroom. Harry's mouth was on his neck, his ears, his arms were around Jan's neck, and the only thing Jan cared about was spreading Harry out on his bed and fucking him senseless. Hard or soft, fast or slow, he didn't care, as long as he was inside Harry as soon as possible.

He didn't bother making a production of it when he finally got Harry laid out on his bed. He wasted no time stripping off their clothes, grabbed the lube and condoms from the nightstand without saying a word. He kissed Harry as he started working him open, trying to distract himself enough to go slow, to keep from hurting Harry. He was desperate, but he still had a responsibility to take care of Harry.

"Jan," Harry sighed when Jan finally sank into him, wrapping his legs around Jan's waist. "God, I love you so much, Jan…"

Jan groaned. The way Harry felt around him was addicting, always had been. "Love you," he mumbled, leaning down to kiss Harry again, his tongue thrusting into Harry's mouth at the same pace as his cock was thrusting into Harry's tight little ass.

It was over faster than either of them expected, but neither of them cared. They lay together afterward, catching their breath, not speaking for a while. Finally Jan peeled himself off of Harry and went to get a washcloth to clean them up, then resumed cuddling as soon as that was done.

"Mmm," Harry murmured. "Wasn't expecting that."

Jan laughed weakly. "I was supposed to punish you," he mumbled into Harry's hair.

Harry giggled and nestled close to Jan. "I mean, if you want to spank me or something, I'm not going to say no," he breathed.

Jan snorted and dug a fingertip into Harry's ribs, making him squeal and try to wriggle away. "I don't think that's going to happen, somehow. Not much of a punishment if you want me to do it, yeah?"

Harry shrugged. "Honestly, any time you want to punish me, all you have to do is not spend time with me. These last few days were awful."

Jan winced. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking forward to this, was all."

"I thought you were just spending all of your off time with Paulo," Harry admitted.

Jan sighed. "Baby, I wish I could convince you that you don't need to be jealous."

"I'm sorry," Harry said contritely. "I just… I dunno. He's got you and Toby both. I just don't get it, I guess."

Jan laughed. "That's because Paulo's never gone after you. Believe me, if he did, you'd change your mind."

Harry scoffed. "Just because  _ you  _ can't resist him doesn't mean I couldn't," he said sceptically.

Jan smirked. "I doubt that, somehow. Paulo can be very… persuasive."

"Please," Harry said, and even though he couldn't see Harry's face, Jan knew he was rolling his eyes. "I bet I could resist him no problem."

A sudden, wicked idea flashed through Jan's mind. "You bet, huh? I think maybe we should take you up on that."

"What?" Harry's voice was startled.

"I'll bet you, anything you like, that if Paulo actually tried to seduce you, there's no way you could resist him."

"Anything I like?" Harry asked coyly.

Jan laughed. "Within limits, baby boy."

Harry pouted for a moment. "Okay, fine. How about if I win, you have to suck my dick, any time I want, for a week."

Jan snorted. "As long as you don't try to make me do it in public, fine. If I win, though…" He trailed off thoughtfully. "If I win, we sit down with Paulo and try to figure this out once and for all, yeah? No more sniping, no more jealousy. Deal?"

Harry hummed, considering. "Fine. Deal."


	2. Chapter 2

Paulo frowned. "You bet him what?"

Across from him, Jan squirmed in his seat, blushing. "I know it sounds stupid, but think about it. He doesn't understand polyamory, maybe in part because he's never been with anyone but me. If you can make him want you, it might help him understand how feelings for multiple people can coexist."

Paulo raised an eyebrow at him. "Desire is not the same as love,  _ schatje," _ he pointed out, taking another bite of his omelette.

"I know," Jan admitted. "But it's a start. He says he doesn't even look at anyone but me."

Paulo thought it over. "And if I fail?"

Jan shrugged. "I pay a silly forfeit, and we keep going the way we have been."

Paulo hummed. "And what if I don't want to do this? I don't want to force anything on him."

"If you say no, whatever the reason, then it's off, no harm done. And you wouldn't be forcing anything on him; the challenge is to make him  _ want _ you to fuck him."

"Ah, I see. What are the rules?"

"You'll have a week to get Harry to sleep with you, and he's agreed to go on two dates with you. All our normal rules still apply, discretion and consent, and I'm not allowed to interfere at all."

Paulo leaned back in his chair, considering. He had noticed Harry before, of course, but he belonged to Jan, and Paulo would not ordinarily go after anyone who already belonged to another Dom. But there had been moments early on, before Harry had convinced Jan to forego Paulo's supervision during their sessions, when Harry had looked up at him, or called him sir…

"All right," he heard himself say. "I'll do it." He leaned across the breakfast table then. "But first…" He narrowed his eyes at Jan, who blinked and swallowed nervously.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"You were supposed to punish him yourself, yes? Not give it back to me to take care of."

"Yes, sir," Jan mumbled, his ears red.

"And you could have asked me before you make this bet with him, yes?"

Jan dropped his gaze to the floor. "Yes, sir."

"I don't like being used as a weapon against Harry. I seem to recall you say something similar when I use you against Toby."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

"You're lucky that I do actually want to do this, or I would be much angrier at you right now," Paulo said in a low growl. "I think some punishment is in order, don't you?"

Jan took a deep breath, got out of his seat, and knelt in front of Paulo. "Yes, sir."

Paulo considered him silently for a few minutes. Jan was so beautiful like this, he mused absently. 

"It occur to me that I'm going to be pretty busy this next week, with Harry," Paulo said softly. "I won't have much time for you, will I?"

Jan made a sad noise. "No, sir."

"Come with me."

Jan got back to his feet, his eyes bright with curiosity. Paulo took him firmly by the hand and led him through the house, to the master bedroom. He opened the door, pulled Jan through, and whispered, "Kneel."

Jan obediently dropped to his knees again, and Paulo went straight to his bed, where Toby was still fast asleep. His eyes opened as soon as Paulo sat on the bed, though, and his sleepy smile was breathtaking.

"Good morning,  _ cielito," _ Paulo said gently, kissing him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm hmm," Toby answered, yawning and stretching. "Always do, after a night like that."

Paulo smiled. Toby was always like this in the morning, when Paulo had fucked him multiple times the night before-- he always slept late, and was hazy and affectionate when he woke up. "I'm glad," he murmured, stroking Toby's soft blond hair. "Jan came over for breakfast."

"Hmm?" Toby yawned again. "Is he still here? What time is it?"

Paulo laughed. "Are you still here,  _ schatje?" _

"Yes, sir," Jan said demurely, making Toby sit straight up in bed with a startled laugh.

"Hi, Jantje," Toby said, grinning. "Getting started early today, eh?"

Paulo chuckled. "He had to discuss something with me." He quickly laid out the situation for Toby.

Toby's brow creased. "Okay, I guess I follow. What's all this have to do with me, though?"

"Well, I need to punish Jan," Paulo said. "And I have an idea."

Toby yawned again and leaned against Paulo, laying his head on Paulo's shoulder.

"Would you like to help me punish him?"

Toby threw Jan a sly glance. "Sure."

"I'll be busy with Harry for the next week," Paulo went on. "I may not have much time for either of you, so the logical thing is for you to spend it together, no?"

Toby nodded.

"How would you feel about, say, having Jan on loan for the week?"

Toby blinked. "On loan?"

Paulo tried not to laugh at how adorably confused he looked. "For the week, he would be yours," Paulo clarified. "Within reason, that is."

"Mine?"

"Yes," Paulo purred in his ear. "Yours to command, to play with, to enjoy. What do you think?"

"But I-- I'm not a Dom," Toby said doubtfully.

"And you don't have to be," Paulo assured him. "I can give you some guidelines to follow, if it will help. But would you like this?"

Toby looked over at Jan, his deep blue eyes thoughtful. "Is… I mean, is he okay with it?"

"I didn't ask," Paulo said blithely. "It seems appropriate, no?"

Jan made a slightly strangled sound from behind them, making something heat up inside Paulo's chest.

"I mean, sure," Toby said, still a little hesitant. "I don't really know what to do, though."

"You'll be fine," Paulo promised. "I can give you some ideas. For instance, you might like to do this." He stood up and crossed the room to where Jan knelt, his ears red. He casually undid his fly, pulled out his rapidly hardening cock, and took hold of Jan's beautiful hair with the other hand. "Open," he commanded. Jan obediently opened his mouth, and Paulo gave a growl of satisfaction as he thrust forward into Jan's waiting mouth.

Jan moaned, low in his throat, as Paulo began using his grip on Jan's hair to move his head back and forth, sliding his cock in and out. After a minute or so of this, though, Paulo sighed and let go of Jan's hair. "Keep going," he ordered Jan lazily.

Jan moved immediately to obey, eagerly feeding Paulo's dick down his throat, bringing his hands up to hold on to Paulo's hips. He sucked Paulo greedily, using all the skill he'd gained over the last several months. Paulo carded his fingers through Jan's hair affectionately as the pleasure began to build up inside him. He could never hold out for long when Jan went at him with this level of intensity, but that didn't matter.

He was almost there when a flicker of movement caught his eye. Toby had come up next to him, staring down at Jan, the boxers he had worn to bed now sporting an impressive tent. He ran a hand up Jan's jaw and into his hair, covering Paulo's hand with his own. He brought his other hand up to rest on the back of Paulo's head and pulled him in for a kiss.

Paulo gave a deep groan and came, spilling into Jan's mouth and moaning into Toby's. He treasured both of his boys beyond words. How was he going to get through this week without them?

He came down from his peak with a sigh and stepped back, tucking his dick back into his trousers. "Your turn,  _ liefje," _ he said, watching intently.

Jan had closed his eyes as Paulo pulled out of his mouth, licking his lips contentedly. He opened them again when Toby nudged his lips with the head of his cock. "Open," Toby said, his voice pitched low.

Jan obeyed, as eagerly as he had for Paulo, and sucked Toby into his mouth and down his throat all at once. Toby let out a gasp and wound both of his hands into Jan's dark ginger hair. "Jan," he moaned, longing evident in his voice. "Fuck."

Paulo smiled to himself as he watched. It never failed to amuse him how Toby was unable to say much of anything else when he had his dick in someone's mouth. Jan, meanwhile, looked like he was in heaven. Paulo knew that he didn't have quite as much of a degradation kink as Toby did, but it was obvious how much he was enjoying this, enjoying being used like a toy. Paulo almost wished that he hadn't had Jan suck him off first, wished that he could fuck him while he had Toby down his throat, just to really drive the point home. This worked at least as well, though, he decided. Turning Jan into Toby's pet for a week would be a good punishment, Paulo's favourite kind-- one that was definitely a punishment, but still enjoyable for Jan.

As with Paulo, Jan was going at Toby with a good deal of enthusiasm, and Toby was no better at resisting him than Paulo. Soon enough he dropped his head back, clutching Jan's hair tightly.  _ "Jan," _ he sighed. "Fuck, Jan,  _ fuck, _ I'm coming, I--"

Jan's hands were locked onto Toby's ass, holding him close as he came. Paulo watched his throat working as he hungrily swallowed Toby's release.  _ Fuck, he's amazing, _ Paulo thought wistfully. He was already a little sorry that he had agreed to Jan's bet with Harry, since it meant he would have to be away from Jan for a week, except for training and the next match, of course.

Jan released Toby and sat back on his heels, eyes closed again, clearly sunk at least a little bit into subspace. Paulo considered the bulge in his jeans thoughtfully, but decided to let it be.  _ You're punishing him, _ he reminded himself. Jan could sort himself out later.

  
  


***

  
  


Paulo sat eyeing Harry cautiously across the table, much as Harry was eyeing him. Paulo had known him for years, of course, but had never really spent any time sizing him up as a potential toy, had in fact actively avoided thinking of him that way once Jan had claimed him. That left him a little underprepared for this, he realised, but he felt confident enough nonetheless.

He had one week to do this, one week to seduce someone who harboured at least some resentment towards him, one week to make Harry desperate for Paulo to fuck him. It wasn't going to be easy, for sure, but Paulo relished the challenge.

Harry was picking at his lunch and watching him warily, tension clearly visible in every line of his body.  _ That'll be step one, _ Paulo noted.  _ Getting him to drop his guard, or at least finding a way around it. _

He was zeroing in on Harry now as he never had before, directing all of his erotic focus straight on Harry's lovely face. It was a subtle thing, but effective; he had used this tactic on Jan and Toby both. Jan had told him once that he had been able to feel Paulo watching him as a tingling on the back of his neck.

Harry could sense the shift in the atmosphere between them too, he knew. He could see a soft pink flush creeping slowly up Harry's neck, but the hard set of his jaw told a different story.

Paulo smiled at Harry-- not his hungry, carnivorous smile, but a perfectly friendly one. "So," he said cheerfully. "We have two dates, yes? What would you like to do?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno."

"Well, I am thinking maybe we have the first one tonight. I have plans tomorrow night already."

Another shrug. "Sure."

Paulo ignored the hint of coldness in Harry's voice and pulled out his phone to look up cinema listings. "Are there any films out you'd like to see?"

Harry made a noncommittal noise. He had evidently decided that his best strategy would be general non-cooperation. It irked Paulo a little, even though it wasn't unexpected.

"We could just have some dinner, then, if you want?"

Harry looked like he wanted to just shrug again, but Paulo lifted an eyebrow at him. He had a feeling that Jan had told Harry to at least give this a bit of effort, and would probably not count it as a win if Harry refused to play along at all. Harry sighed. "Sure, sounds good."

Paulo suppressed another flicker of irritation. "Anywhere in particular you like to go?"

Harry shrugged again. "Dunno. Surprise me."

"I'll do my best," Paulo murmured, grinning when Harry blushed. "I pick you up at seven?"

He could see Harry swallow nervously, but he nodded. "Sure. Seven. See you then."

  
_ Not bad, _ Paulo decided as he watched Harry exit the little café where they had met for lunch, casually checking out his ass as he went.  _ Not bad at all. _


	3. Chapter 3

Harry nearly dropped his phone when the doorbell rang. He had been pacing up and down the hallway for the last ten minutes, trying to decide if he was actually going to go through with this, and his nerves were a little on the frayed side.

He still wasn't sure what had possessed him to take this stupid bet with Jan, anyway. He didn't really want to spend a week with Paulo pursuing him, and not seeing Jan at all apart from football was bound to be akin to torture. He wanted to go on these dates with Paulo even less, but he had agreed to it, and he was just stubborn enough to loathe the idea of backing down. If he called off the bet, Jan would think that it meant he was right, that Harry wouldn't be able to resist Paulo.

No, Harry wanted to prove his point. Paulo's constant presence in Jan's life had gotten under Harry's skin almost from the start of his relationship with Jan, and at this point the resentment had festered for too long for Harry to be able to easily let it go. It felt to him like Paulo was overly confident that he could have anyone he wanted, and Harry was determined to show him how wrong he was.

He shoved his phone in his pocket and squared his shoulders. He could do this. He could.

Paulo grinned at him when he opened the door. Damnit, he really was unreasonably attractive, Harry noticed with irritation, not for the first time. He was wearing ordinary blue jeans and a black woollen pea coat, a grey scarf wrapped round his neck, and a black beanie hat pulled down low over his ears. It didn't strike Harry as very fair just how good he looked even in such a simple outfit.

For his part, Harry had spent longer than he would ever admit choosing his clothes for tonight, torn between wanting to look nice just on principle, to show Paulo just how good Jan had it with him, and wanting to dress down, to show that Harry didn't care what Paulo thought of him. In the end he had gone with blue jeans as well, paired with a white Spurs tee shirt under a cream-coloured jumper. Jan had told him several times that he looked good in white. In fact, Harry realised with a start that this might even be the same shirt he had been wearing when Jan and Paulo had come to his house last summer, the first time he and Jan had done anything together.

"Ready to go?" Paulo asked, sounding as relaxed as he had been earlier when they were discussing where to go on their dates.

"Just a mo." Harry grabbed his own jacket, scarf, and hat, bundled up quickly, and stepped out, locking the door behind him. "All right, where to?" He looked round for Paulo's car, but to his surprise Paulo beckoned down the sidewalk.

"We can walk, is not far. If your ankle is okay, of course."

Harry blinked. He couldn't think of any restaurants within walking distance that he would have expected Paulo to choose for tonight. He probably shouldn't be going for any extended runs, what with his ankle, but the doctor had cleared him for light use, and he wasn't willing to admit to Paulo that he needed any help.

"Sure, a short walk is fine." He fell in beside Paulo, feeling extremely self-conscious. Did Paulo have to be quite so tall?

They walked side by side, neither one speaking. Harry stole a couple of glances up at Paulo, but Paulo didn't meet his eyes. He seemed to be looking around, as if he wasn't quite sure if they were going the right way.

"So, where are we going?"

Paulo flashed him a grin. "You'll see. Almost there, I think."

To Harry's astonishment they rounded the next corner and a familiar sign came into view. Paulo had brought him to… the local pub?

Paulo glanced at him, his eyes twinkling. "I hope it is okay," he said.

"Sure," Harry said with a laugh. "Not what I would have expected from you, though."

Paulo shrugged and opened the door. "I wanted a place you would be able to relax."

Harry was oddly touched. He had told Paulo to surprise him when choosing their destination, but this was not at all what he had expected. That Paulo would choose something specifically to put him at ease was… well, it was nice.

"So… um… how are you?" Harry said awkwardly when they had gotten a table. He found he had absolutely no idea what to talk about. Visions of an evening filled with horribly awkward conversation flashed through his head.

Paulo glanced at him with a faint smile on his face. "Fine," he said, his deep voice oddly soft. "A little nervous, I suppose."

Harry blinked. "Nervous?" It hadn't occurred to him that Paulo even knew how to be nervous. He always seemed so confident, even cocky.

"Sure," Paulo said easily. "Shouldn't I be nervous on a first date?"

Harry blushed. "It-- it's just me," he said, somewhat lamely. "You've known me for years."

"Ah, but this is different, no?"

It _was_ different, of course, but Harry was still baffled by the idea of a nervous Paulo. Suddenly a memory rose up in his mind-- Paulo, sitting on a kerb with his head in his hands, quietly panicking because Juan had been angry with him. Harry had found himself in a strange position; years earlier, he and Juan had somehow bonded over their crushes on older men-- for Harry it was Jan, of course, but for Juanito it had been Paulo. He had a feeling that over time it had faded into a special, important friendship for Juan, but Harry hadn't wanted to break the trust, so he had simply encouraged Paulo to go after his friend. 

With the benefit of hindsight, Harry realised that that must have been in the early days of Paulo's relationship with Jan and Toby. Had that contributed to his stress over the argument with Juanito?

_Maybe new relationships do make him nervous._ Harry wasn't prepared to admit the possibility that he and Paulo were starting a relationship per se, but the principle remained.

"I guess so," Harry said, and they fell back into awkward silence for a moment.

"How about you?" Paulo asked, his voice still soft, even tentative.

Harry shrugged. "Fine," he answered, trying to make his stupid boyish voice sound gruff. He had a feeling he wasn't terribly successful, though, especially when Paulo glanced at him with a ghost of a smile on his face. Harry felt himself blushing again. Why did he always have to embarrass himself?

"Is okay, you know," Paulo said. "If you are nervous too."

"'M not nervous," Harry protested. "Just…"

Paulo glanced at him. "You don't want to be doing this, ah?"

Harry wanted to protest, but Paulo wasn't wrong. In a perfect world, no, he wouldn't be here. He would be with Jan. "Not exactly, I guess."

"Is okay," Paulo repeated. "I understand. But…" His mouth twisted thoughtfully. "Maybe this can be a chance for us to be friends again, yes?"

"Again? Did we stop being friends?"

Paulo raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't we?"

Harry flushed guiltily. He supposed there was something to that. He hadn't really been comfortable around Paulo since he had started to suspect that there was something going on between him and Jan. Maybe he'd let his jealousy show more than he realised, if Paulo thought they weren't friends anymore.

_Do I want to be friends with him?_

"Maybe," he said, feeling a little sheepish. After all, it wasn't exactly Paulo's fault. It wasn't like Paulo had known how Harry felt about Jan when they had gotten involved. Paulo hadn't really done anything wrong.

"Well, maybe we can be again," Paulo suggested with a smile.

"Maybe," Harry repeated. 

To his surprise, chatting with Paulo as they got their food and drinks was easier after that. It was almost as if acknowledging the tension between them seemed to somehow ease it. Before long he found himself talking enthusiastically about all kinds of things. Paulo remembered more about Harry's interests outside of football than Harry would have thought. By the time they had finished eating, Harry had almost forgotten that this was supposed to be a date at all.

They even played a couple of rounds of darts, which ended up making Harry dissolve into giggling at Paulo's attempts.

"This is not my game," Paulo confessed, pulling yet another dart out of the rim of the board.

"Why'd you suggest it, then?" Harry teased.

Paulo flushed. "I thought you would like to play," he mumbled, stepping away from the board.

Harry's stomach fluttered at that. _Stop it,_ he told himself firmly, trying to tear his eyes away from Paulo's bashful smile and pink ears. _Last thing you need to do right now._

But the image of Paulo, awkward and embarrassed and cute, lingered in his mind, even after they gave up on darts, after they quibbled over who would pay the tab, after they walked back to Harry's house, reinforced when it was time to say good night by Paulo shyly asking if it was okay to hug him. Harry had a feeling that he should say no, avoid contact with Paulo as much as possible, but instead he found himself opening his arms. Paulo was big and warm and solid, and Harry couldn't help but be conscious of how easily Paulo could press him against the wall, pick him up like Jan did…

He shook off that image and stepped back from Paulo, needing to put that space between them. _He's not Jan. He's not. I love Jan._

"Good night," he mumbled. He made the mistake of glancing up, meeting Paulo's eyes, and was momentarily spellbound by them, how beautiful they were.

_"Buenas noches,"_ Paulo said, with a small smile, and then he turned to go.

"Let me know when you get home," Harry said suddenly. He didn't have any particular reason to be concerned, but he had gotten into the habit whenever he was out with his mates, to make sure everyone got home safely, and it felt wrong not to do the same for Paulo.

Paulo glanced back over his shoulder at Harry and nodded once, then sauntered off to his car, leaving Harry to watch him go, filled with conflicting emotions at how the evening had gone.

  
  


***

  
  


Harry woke up with a smile on his face. He'd had a good dream last night, he was certain of that, though he couldn't quite remember the details. Jan had been in it, of course, which was always enough to make Harry wake up in a good mood. 

He rolled over to grab his phone from the nightstand and check his notifications, like he did every morning.

_ >>From: Paulo G [06:15]: good morning. hope you slept well _

Harry sat up in bed, staring at the message. He'd almost forgotten all of it, the bet, the date with Paulo, the conversation afterward. It had started with Paulo texting him to let him know when he had gotten home safely and to thank him for a fun evening, and had ended up stretching out over nearly two hours, before Harry had finally fallen asleep. They'd talked about nothing at all, really, mostly just sending each other funny memes, nothing more than Harry would have done with any of his other friends.

_Are we friends again, then?_ Harry wondered. For the purposes of the bet, it was probably a bad idea, but Harry had to admit it had hurt a little when Paulo had come out and said it, suggested that they weren't. Harry was used to thinking of his teammates as his friends, all of them, even the ones he didn't know so well. He didn't like the idea of any of his teammates thinking that Harry didn't like them.

_ <<To: Paulo G [06:20]: not bad, u? _

_ >>From: Paulo G [06:20]: same :) _   
_ >>From: Paulo G [06:21]: I forgot to ask last night, are you going to be at training today? _

_ <<To: Paulo G [06:21]: not full training, no. rehab with the physios _

_ >>From: Paulo G [06:21]: do they think you'll be able to play next match? _

_ <<To: Paulo G [06:22]: maybe. They're being cautious bc of my history of ankle injuries but it really doesn't feel too bad _

_ >>From: Paulo G [06:22]: that's good :) _

Paulo sent him a picture then, of a beagle lying on a bed, on his back, tongue lolling out and a goofy, blissful look in his eyes.

_ >>From: Paulo G [06:23]: Teo says good morning too _😂

"Aww," Harry said aloud, smiling. He had forgotten Paulo had a dog.

_ <<To: Paulo G [06:23]: cutie _😍

Paulo sent another picture in reply, this time of himself with the beagle cuddled up next to him, both of them looking adorably sleepy.

_Stop it,_ he told himself. _Don't think about Paulo being adorable. Even if he is, damnit._

He decided not to reply. It was rude, maybe, but necessary. He couldn't afford to let his guard slip. Better to not think about Paulo at all.

By the time he left for his rehab, though, he had to admit that he was having trouble keeping Paulo out of his mind. Normally his thoughts would be full of Jan, but Paulo kept sneaking in too, somehow. He kept thinking about the date yesterday, how different it had been from any other date he had ever been on. His attempts at dating before he had gotten involved with Jan had been painful and short-lived, usually full of awkward tension. 

It hadn't been like that with Paulo. He hadn't really been nervous, not the way he had expected to be. He had stopped thinking of it as an actual date at some point during the evening, because it had felt just like dinner out with a mate. It had been… nice.

_Nice is dangerous,_ he reminded himself. _Maybe it’s okay to be friends again, but don’t get too comfortable._

It was almost too bad, though. In different circumstances, he could almost see himself enjoying dates like that. Not with Paulo, of course. But… maybe, if things were different, with someone like him.


	4. Chapter 4

Paulo was definitely ready for a break by the time José released them for lunch. He'd been pushing himself particularly hard in training lately. His extended run as Spurs' first choice goalkeeper had come to an end, now that Hugo was back in action at last, and he had mixed feelings about it, to tell the truth. He was just a little bit relieved-- the pressure of playing every match, especially here in England where the pace was so demanding, had begun to wear on him-- just a little. The team had been in somewhat mixed form of late, too, which meant it was even more necessary for the goalkeeper to be absolutely top. There was definitely a little bit of relief in knowing that they had their World Cup winning captain back in goal.

Not that Paulo would ever say so out loud, of course. He was expected to work hard, keep improving, challenge Hugo for the number one spot, and he did want it, even if it was sort of nice to have a bit of a break from having to play every single match. He was competitive enough, ambitious enough, to resent being shunted aside despite all of that, though, and so he had been throwing everything he had into drills lately.

That wasn't the only reason he had pushed himself particularly hard today, though. If he was giving everything he could, focusing solely on the catches, the leaps, the parries, then he _wasn't_ focusing on Harry, and thinking about Harry was oddly uncomfortable right now.

He wasn't quite sure why. Oh, when he'd agreed to the bet, he'd expected to spend a lot of time focusing on Harry, on finding ways to ease the tension between them, to build up Harry's comfort level with him, and eventually convert that into something more sexual. Having Harry on his mind for most of the week wasn't unexpected, or even a problem.

No, the thing that was nagging at him was how it made him feel, thinking about Harry.

He hadn't expected to be quite this invested in it, was the thing. He was reasonably confident of success, ultimately; he was well aware that he was an attractive man-- people had always used superlatives to describe him, but Paulo didn't let himself focus on that, tried not to let other people's opinions of him swell his ego. But there was no denying that he had almost always been successful at seducing just about anyone he truly concentrated on, and he had no reason to expect that Harry would be any different, ultimately.

It wasn't that he feared failure, at least not as far as sex went. Even if Harry did prove immune to his charms, he would survive; he had no shortage of partners, after all. He was more afraid of Harry's resentment, the jealousy that had brought them to this point, had erased what had previously existed of their friendship. Finding a way to change that was Paulo's true goal for the week, and the prospect of failing there was what he dreaded.

He tried not to crowd Harry, carefully measured the amount of distance between them in the dressing room, in the canteen. He made a point of sending him occasional texts with funny memes or videos, both to keep himself fresh in Harry's mind and for the simple pleasure of seeing him smile or laugh.

He found himself surprised when training ended that day-- between his preoccupation with Harry and his determination to focus on training to keep from dwelling on Harry _too_ much, the time flew by far more quickly than he had realised. Soon enough they were in the dressing room again, which presented numerous challenges. Harry was there, of course, and Paulo had to focus to keep from letting his gaze linger. Jan and Toby were there as well, and though he was far more practised at keeping a natural demeanour around then, he found that he missed them, badly enough to make it difficult to keep from staring at them or doing something indiscreet.

He did sneak a couple of glances at them, and was relieved to see that they were smiling and joking with each other, much as they always did. He didn't understand all of the things they did to tease each other, but then he never had.

The sound of something metallic hitting the floor drew his attention again just as he was about to head to the showers. "Oops," said Toby, looking down at where his keyring had fallen from his bag to the floor, sliding halfway across the room. "Grab those for me, would you, Jan?"

To Paulo's surprise Jan glared at Toby, but went to retrieve the keys nonetheless. He picked them up as gingerly as if they had been a live snake rather than an apparently normal keyring.

Paulo shook his head and turned to go take his shower. He definitely didn't fully understand his boys, but he didn't really mind. Even in as intimate a relationship as theirs, there was value, even excitement, in maintaining a little bit of mystery.

He ended up taking the shower next to Juanito's. His young friend hadn't been having the easiest season; an injury in preseason and then a mistake in his only start so far under the new manager had meant Juan had gotten very few minutes overall this year, and Paulo knew it weighed heavily on his mind. He had admitted to Paulo that he had considered going out on loan, or perhaps even transferring out altogether, and Paulo had tried hard to support him as he went back and forth on the matter. Paulo would miss him desperately if he went, of course, but if he couldn't break into the first team, then it would be best for him to try his luck elsewhere.

For now, Paulo was determined to spend as much time as he could with his friend, and so he had been diligent in reserving Friday nights for them to spend together, every week, unless a match interfered. 

"So, my place tonight, yes?" He tossed the words casually over the divider between the showers, just loud enough for Juanito to be able to hear him over the noise of the water. "I have the meat ready to make _asado."_

"Sure," Juan said, and Paulo could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll have to have a good fire, since it's so cold out, but it'll be nice."

Paulo grinned. "Sounds good."

When Paulo finished his shower and returned to the changing room to get dressed, he noticed Harry stealing peeks at him out of the corner of his eye and suppressed a smirk. Tonight would be an interesting test of his progress so far. Paulo had been paying attention to Harry almost exclusively for the last twenty-four hours, but tonight he would shut his phone off and focus on Juan. It would be interesting to see what, if any, response being suddenly ignored would provoke from Harry.

A motion caught his eye as he pulled his shirt down over his chest-- Toby, his keys clutched in one hand, yawning and stretching dramatically, his arms out wide. He didn't seem to notice that Jan was right behind him, or that his stretch brought the hand holding his keys directly in front of Jan's face, almost under his nose. Jan's face was set, an expression Paulo knew meant he was annoyed but determined not to show it.

_I wonder what that's about,_ he thought absently as he buckled his belt and ran a hand through his damp hair. _Suppose I'll find out at some point._ He gathered his things quickly and left without another glance at Jan, Toby, or Harry-- though he did ruffle Juanito's hair on his way out.

  
  


***

  
  


Later, Paulo and Juan were relaxing by the fire, their bellies full of _asado,_ passing the maté gourd back and forth as they always did. They had chatted some while they had cooked and eaten, but now they had fallen into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the quiet of the evening, the warmth of the fire, the cool night breeze as they watched the stars coming out-- the few that could be seen in the heart of a city as large as London, at any rate.

It had been a good day, Paulo decided. He had done well at training, managed to juggle things with Harry ably enough, and now he was spending time with one of his favourite people. 

He kept catching himself wondering what Harry was up to, though. They hadn't really talked much about what either of them would be doing in their free time this week apart from their two dates, and Paulo had no idea what Harry usually did on a Friday night. The temptation to check his phone was nagging at him constantly, but he continued to ignore it in favour of Juanito.

"Okay," Juan said after a bit. "What gives?"

Paulo blinked and looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Juan rolled his eyes. "You're obviously preoccupied with something. I can tell you're trying to not think about it, but _something's_ on your mind." He paused thoughtfully. "You don't have to tell me, of course, but…" Juan shrugged. "If you want to talk about it, I'm listening."

Paulo frowned. He hadn't realised he was being quite so transparent. "I'm sorry, I… I just wanted to spend tonight focusing on you, but I can't seem to stop thinking about it," he admitted.

"Is it Jan?"

Paulo blinked. He forgot sometimes that Juanito did know about his relationship with Jan now, having stumbled on them together early in the season. Juan almost never mentioned it, though, and never behaved any differently around Jan, so it tended to slip his mind.

"No, not Jan. Not exactly."

Juan nodded, chewing on his lower lip. "But something related?"

"Sort of." Paulo bit his lip, not sure how much he ought to say to Juanito. He had found out the truth about Jan and Harry's relationship a few months ago, too, in the aftermath of the "Dries incident."

Juan didn't say anything for a few more minutes, just stared musingly into the fire. Finally he spoke up again. "Is it Harry?"

Paulo blinked. "How did you...?"

Juan shrugged. "I just noticed he seemed a little off today."

Paulo nodded numbly, not knowing what to say. He sometimes forgot just how uncannily observant Juanito could be.

"Are you guys fighting again?" There was a slightly hard note in Juan's voice now, and Paulo remembered how protective he tended to be when it came to Harry. 

"Not exactly," Paulo said awkwardly. He had never imagined that he would be sitting here discussing the complications of his love life with Juanito, and he felt like he was floundering along, as uncertainly as if he was even younger than Juan was. "I want to try to patch it up with him, actually. Be friends again."

"Does he want to make up with you?" Juan said shrewdly. "Or is it just that Jan wants him to?"

Paulo nodded, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of the challenge. He had had hope when he had agreed to the bet, but now… how on earth was he going to convince someone as jealous as Winks to accept Paulo as his boyfriend's other lover, to somehow be friends again? All at once it seemed like an impossibly steep hill to climb.

He put his head in his hands. "I don't have the slightest idea what to do," he confessed. He didn't have any intention of telling Juanito about the bet-- he had a feeling that his young friend might not approve of such a cynical bet involving sex. But he felt far more comfortable confiding in Juan about his desire to repair his friendship with Harry. "I feel like he hates me."

Juan's face twisted as he thought. "I don't think he hates you, _'mano,"_ he said at last. "I think he's a young man in love, who doesn't know how to be friends with someone who he sees as a rival for the one he loves."

"That's understandable," Paulo admitted. "I don't know very many people who know how to do that, really."

"Maybe he just needs to see that you're not a threat to him, yes? He doesn't know you the way I do, so I'd bet he doesn't really understand how…" He trailed off, eyeing Paulo as a grin tugged at his lips. "How harmless you are."

"Harmless?" Paulo said indignantly, though it came out as more of a squawk than he intended.

Juanito was trying to fight off a cascade of giggles now, smirking at Paulo as he scowled ferociously-- or tried to, at any rate.

"How about sweet? Maybe fluffy?"

"That's it," Paulo declared, getting to his feet. "Clearly I need to show _you_ just how harmless I am, eh?" He made as if to lunge at Juanito, who quickly scrambled to his feet. Paulo feinted the opposite way, then full on tackled Juan, and they rolled together in the brown grass of his garden, giggling like schoolboys as they wrestled, tickling and pinching each other mercilessly.

Finally Juan threw his hands up in surrender, and they collapsed onto the cold ground, resting on their backs and staring up at the sky.

"You're a good person, Paulo," Juan said at length. "Kind and gentle, and a wonderful friend. I think Harry just needs a chance to see that for himself, really."

Paulo hummed under his breath, turning it over in his mind. "Maybe so, but how do you suggest I go about showing him this, hm?"

Juan heaved a sigh. "If I knew, I would tell you."

"Thanks," Paulo said dryly. "You're very helpful."

Juan turned his head to the side and grinned mockingly. "I know. What would you do without me, eh?"

"I hope I don't have to find out," Paulo replied softly.

There wasn't really anything Juan could say to that. Neither of them wanted Juan to leave Tottenham, but football rarely took personal preference into consideration.

They stayed like that, staring up at the night sky in companionable silence, until the fire had long since dwindled to glowing embers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can read about the time when Juanito found out about Jan and Paulo [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411240).
> 
> The full details of the "Dries incident" can be fine [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25774003/chapters/62598001).
> 
> Juanito's conversation with Harry about his feelings for Jan can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22679953).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The standalone piece [Turning Around Like A Top](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152211) should really be read before reading this chapter 😁

The next few days were exhausting for Harry, in ways he hadn't expected. Oh, there was training, and a match on Saturday-- a frustrating draw against Southampton in the FA Cup-- but he was used to that. But it was taking more energy than he had expected to keep his guard up where Paulo was concerned. Paulo was mostly keeping his distance, but the text messages continued to come fairly regularly, and every time his phone buzzed, it made something buzz in his stomach as well. At first he dismissed it as just irritation, or maybe tension from the vigilance he was trying to maintain against whatever Paulo was planning, but after a while it began to feel more… exciting than annoying.

He grew more and more annoyed with himself as he realised this, but he couldn't stop feeling it, that little buzz of excitement every time Paulo sent him something new. They were usually just memes or funny links, but each one was also a reminder of Paulo himself, and as stubbornly as Harry reminded himself that he should be ignoring Paulo, ignoring any advances he made, it was hard to deny that it was novel to have this much attention from Paulo, and harder still to pretend that it wasn't at least a little bit flattering to have someone as attractive as Paulo paying attention to him.

The odd thing was, though, Paulo didn't seem to be trying to make any advances, really. He was just acting like they were friends. When he wasn't sending Harry random silly things to make him laugh, he just chatted lightly to Harry, asking how he was doing, wishing him good morning and good night. It didn't seem even the slightest bit flirty, though, which was what was throwing him off. If Paulo had been constantly trying to flirt with him, constantly saying suggestive things, Harry could have dealt with it, would have been able to shut it down. But he wasn't prepared to deal with Paulo just being… a person.

It was disarming in a way Harry hadn't anticipated and didn't know how to cope with. By the time Tuesday came around, he was having difficulty ignoring Paulo-- enough that he was beginning to have trouble focusing in training.

"What's the matter with you today, bro?" Dele asked him in irritation after the third time he had to call Harry out during their five-a-side. 

"Nothing," Harry mumbled with a shake of his head. He kept catching sight of Paulo, in the goal opposite, long and lean and prowling like some sort of big cat. 

"Well, then snap out of it," Dele shot back, glaring. Over his shoulder, Harry saw Mourinho narrow his eyes in their direction.

"Again," the manager called. "Focus, boys."

Harry set his jaw. He had finally gotten the hang of pretending that things were normal with Jan when they had to be around everyone else; why couldn't he just manage to ignore Paulo too?

When José finally released them, Dele snagged Harry before he even made it off the pitch, dropping an arm around his shoulders. "What is up with you lately, mate? And don't lie," Dele added with a sassy little jump of his eyebrow.

"I…" Harry didn't know how to explain. He couldn't explain, anyway, not where anyone could hear. He fumbled for some sort of excuse, but none came to mind. "Don't wanna get into it here."

Dele rolled his eyes. "Come round mine tonight then, yeah? I'll give you dinner." Without waiting for an answer he released Harry and sauntered off, calling after Sonny as if he had already forgotten Harry was there.

_ That'll be good, _ Harry told himself.  _ Do something besides sit around at home and mope after Jan. _ He ignored the whisper in his mind, the one saying,  _ and wait for Paulo to text you. _

When he rang Dele's bell later, he was grinning down at his phone, where Paulo had just sent him another picture of his dog. Even if nothing came of this, he had to admit privately that it might be nice to be friends with Paulo again, if only because of how cute the little beagle was-- Harry was a sucker for dogs through and through.

He jerked his eyes up again when Dele opened the door, and he fumbled to shove his phone back in his pocket, but too late.

"Cute dog," Dele said innocently. "Looks a bit like Paulo's, dunit?"

Harry finally got the screen locked and shrugged, trying not to blush. "I dunno, mate."

"If you say so, Winksy. C'mon in."

The house smelled surprisingly delicious. "Are you cooking?" Harry said in surprise.

"Don't be daft," Dele scoffed, heading for the kitchen with Harry trailing along behind.

Harry wasn't really surprised, he supposed, to see Eric in the kitchen, intent on the pan where he appeared to be searing steaks, but he was caught off guard when Dele went straight up behind Eric, circling his arms around Eric's waist and hooking his chin over Eric's shoulder for a kiss. He knew they were together, had known since nearly the start of their relationship, but he had almost never seen them like this, in a setting where they didn't have to hide it.

His surprise must have shown on his face, because Eric glanced at him with an amused expression on his face. "I thought you said he knew," he said dryly to Dele, who rolled his eyes.

"He has for ages, he's just off his game today."

Eric hummed softly, reaching for the salt cellar. "All right, Winksy?" he said, not unkindly, his eyes back on the steaks.

"Yeah, cheers," Harry said, quickly shaking off his surprise at seeing them being so openly affectionate. They had once been incredibly open-- even public-- with their affection, up until it had become real, had crossed the line from bromance to romance. They had decided it would be better to tone things down, the better to try to keep their secret. It made Harry a little sad, really, to think about how much they had to hide such a big part of themselves.

_ Not that I'm any better off, _ he thought wryly.  _ If anything they're probably in a better position than Jan and I are as far as public opinion would be concerned. Neither of  _ them _ are married, after all. _

Dele snorted. "Sure, and I'm the Pope," he said sceptically. "Haven't seen you so distracted in training since right after you started sleeping with Jan."

Harry felt his entire face flush crimson. "W-what…" he spluttered helplessly. Dele knew that he was gay, of course; they had come out to each other during their time with England's U17 side. They had even exchanged one experimental, extremely awkward kiss, before deciding that they could only ever be friends. He had always suspected that Dele knew more about his relationship with Jan than he let on, but to have him come right out and say it like that--

"Del," Eric said, and his tone was mild, but it was clearly a rebuke. "Don't tease him."

"Fine," Dele grumbled. "Just saying, it's obvious something's up."

"How did… did Jan…?"

Eric shook his head. "Nah, Jan would never say anything without talking to you about it first. I just know him, and Del knows you, and we put it together around the time pre-season started."

Harry sank into a chair at the kitchen table, his face still flaming. In his shock and embarrassment he forgot all about the reason he was there, completely overwhelmed by the casual revelation that his big secret wasn't a secret at all, here.

Eric turned off the stove and slid the steaks carefully onto a platter, bringing it over to the table to set down in front of Harry. "Did you two break up?" Eric asked, his voice gentle, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"What? Oh-- no, no," Harry said, snapping back to the present with a jolt. He tried to remember what had been on his mind before. There had been  _ something… _

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he fished it out automatically, only to blush to the roots of his hair all over again to see that it was, of course, another message from Paulo.

_ >>From: Paulo G [18:28]: Oil is changed, tires are rotated, brake light is fixed, and finally I'm home. I hope your evening isn't quite this boring :) _

Harry quickly locked the screen and stowed his phone back in his pocket, telling himself he'd reply when he had a chance to duck into the loo. When he looked up, though, his heart sank when he saw Eric looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Was that from Paulo?" Eric's voice was surprised.

Harry shrugged, determined to keep at least  _ some  _ of his secrets.

"That  _ was _ Paulo's dog before, wasn't it?" Dele said rather pointedly. "Since when do you and Paulo text so much, eh?"

Harry shrugged again, his heart racing. He had a feeling they would put it together one way or another, but he was stubborn enough to not want to make it easy for them.

He saw Eric and Dele exchange a quick glance, and there was a brief pause.

"You, um. You do know about Jan and Paulo, don't you?" Eric sounded deeply uncomfortable, and it was easy to guess why; Harry guessed that  _ if _ Eric had talked to Jan about this before, he almost certainly hadn't gotten permission to discuss it with anyone else. Harry was touched that Eric would go against his instinctive loyalty to Jan to broach the subject, though. Eric was clearly worried about him.

"Of course," Harry said, trying to sound casual, still hoping to brush it off, desperate for some avenue of escape from this conversation.

"Okay…"

Harry glanced up in time to catch the look Eric and Dele were exchanging, which seemed to convey an entire conversation.

"Winksy…"

To his surprise, it was Dele this time, and for once he didn't sound snarky, or cool, or mocking. He sounded… concerned.

"Look, it's… it's nothing, okay?" Harry tries to swallow, but there seemed to be something caught in his throat.  _ Damnit. _

"Just… look, you can talk to us, y'know? If you need to." Dele cleared his throat and looked helplessly back at Eric.

"Maybe it's none of our business," Eric said in his deep voice. "But we care about you. That's all."

Harry took a deep breath, ready to try to deliver some flippant response, but it stuck in his throat, and he fell silent instead. Feeling utterly humiliated, he buried his face in his hands, willing himself not to cry.

"Shit." Dele again. There was a scraping sound, as of a chair being pulled out from the table, and then Dele was tugging on his arm, pulling one of his hands away from his face, forcefully lacing their fingers together, and Dele pressed their joined hands against his forehead.

"Whatever it is, it's going to be okay," Eric said softly, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "Somehow."

"Honestly, it's fine…" Harry's voice came out muffled, unconvincing.

"Sure. You're sitting here about to break down at my kitchen table 'cause everything is  _ fine," _ Dele said, but the usual sharpness wasn't there.

"Okay, enough," Eric said brusquely, pulling his hand away, and the sound of his footsteps was retreating into the kitchen. "Eat something, then we can talk, yeah?"

Dele let out a soft snort of laughter. "Classic Eric Dier for you. When in doubt, eat something."

"Fuck off, Delboy," Eric responded easily, and Harry burst out laughing, to his surprise.

To his credit, Eric was a more than passable chef. He produced salad and roasted vegetables to go with the steaks, and it was all delicious. Harry ate quickly, trying to enjoy it, but the thought of trying to explain what was going on with him seemed to weigh down every bite.

Afterwards, they cleared the dishes and sat around the table, not saying anything for a bit. Harry stared down at his hands, trying to find a way to explain it so that they could actually understand. Neither Dele or Eric spoke for a long time, didn't push him, didn't crowd him as he tried to gather himself up enough to discuss it.

"It's just…" Harry started suddenly, in mid-thought. He stopped and sighed at himself. "I knew about Jan and Paulo before I ever had any hope of being with Jan myself, that part wasn't a surprise at all. And when we got started…" Harry paused, searching for words. "I figured I could deal with it, not being monogamous, since it was always going to be the only way I could be with him, you know?"

Eric grunted softly, and Dele spoke up. "It's a bit different though, init, sharing him with his wife, compared to sharing him with someone like Paulo, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled.  _ And that's not even the half of it. I have to share him with Toby too, and Dries… _

He  _ definitely _ couldn't talk about that, though, so he pushed the thought aside. "Yeah, it is," he admitted. "And at first it was okay, because all I cared about was that I got to be with him, y'know? And Jan's good about… not trying to make us spend time together, but… I just…"

He trailed off, and Dele reached over to grab his hand again, squeezing lightly.

"Is it worth it?" Eric's voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

"What?" Harry was caught completely off guard by the question.

"Is being with him worth feeling like this? Is it better to be with him, if you have to share him?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat. He somehow hadn't even considered that. He didn't answer right away, and the silence stretched out between them for one minute, then another, then another.

"Yes," he said finally. "It's... not easy, sure, but it's not a deal breaker. Not for me. He's worth it."

Eric and Dele exchanged another glance, and Dele squeezed Harry's hand again. "Okay then," he said. "We'll support you."

Harry swallowed around the lump in his throat again and squeezed Dele's hand back. "Thanks, Del."

"There's more to it, though, isn't there?" Eric asked. "I mean, you've been with Jan for months now. If you've known about Paulo all along, then what's got you so wiggy all of a sudden?"

Harry sighed. "It's just… I think Jan's been getting sick of me being jealous," he admitted. "He-- well, he wants us to get along better, so I-- I agreed to spend some time with him, try to see if I can get past this." It was as close as he could come to the truth without going into the specifics of the bet.

Eric frowned. "I get that you're jealous, but is Paulo? He doesn't really seem like the type to have trouble getting along with anyone."

Harry bit his lip. "No, it's really just me," he said in a small voice. "I don't think he feels threatened by me at all."

"But you do?"

Harry let out a short, bitter laugh. "Hard not to feel threatened by someone like him, init? He's… I mean… he's everything I'm-- I'm not," he choked out, and then he  _ was _ crying, damnit.

There were arms around him then, gentle hands on his back, stroking his hair, but nobody said anything for a while. Harry let himself cry for several minutes before he even processed that it was Dele holding him, Dele's hand curved protectively around the back of his head, Dele's shoulder he had been sobbing on.

Eric, who had gotten up and was pacing up and down the kitchen now, muttered something in Portuguese under his breath. "I'm going to kill Jan," he growled.

"Don't think that'll help, Diet," Dele said softly, but Eric shot a look at Dele that made Harry shiver, and Dele subsided.

"It's not-- not-- not his fault," Harry managed, pulling away from Dele and wiping his eyes. "Don't… please don't…"

Eric took a deep breath and dropped into his chair again. "Look, what matters is you. You're sure he's worth all this?"

Harry swallowed and nodded.

"Does he ever compare you to Paulo?"

Harry shook his head, taken aback. Jan rarely talked about Paulo at all when he was with Harry, he realised guiltily. "No, he wouldn't do that," he said loyally.

Eric grunted. "And what about Paulo? Does he ever give you a hard time, or anything?"

"No, he-- I--" Harry took a deep breath, searching for words. "He's always been really nice to me." A wave of shame swept over him at the thought of the way he had behaved about Paulo, compared to how easily Paulo had accepted him as part of Jan's life. 

Eric exchanged a thoughtful glance with Dele. "And now you two are… what, trying to be friends? That's why you're texting with him?"

Harry nodded, thinking of how oddly nice it had been, having Paulo to talk to, having his texts to look forward to. He knew that if he wanted to win the bet, he should probably stop that, stop checking his phone so eagerly first thing in the morning, stop falling asleep rereading Paulo's simple good night texts, but…

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "It's… not easy." He bit his lip. Everything seemed to be swirling together confusingly in his head. "I mean, it's not… I just don't know… know how…" He stopped and massaged his forehead, rubbing his temples.

"Hey." It was Dele this time, his voice low and gentle. "Do you need to take a break from talking about it? We can do something else for a while, if you want."

Harry took a couple of deep breaths. "Yeah, that… that sounds nice," he said, a bit hesitantly. "It's just a lot, you know?"

"Sorry if we overwhelmed you," Eric said, ruffling Harry's hair gently. "It's okay not to have all the answers, even about your own feelings. Just don't forget we're here for you, okay?"

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Come on," Dele said brightly, pulling Harry to his feet. "Maybe if I kick your ass in Fortnite for a bit you'll feel better."

"Okay, fine," Harry said with a laugh. "You get the game started up, I need to go take a leak first, okay?"  _ And text Paulo back. _ The thought that Paulo might have been waiting for Harry to text him back made his stomach flutter, adding to his confusion.

Eric shot him a brief, knowing glance, and Harry flushed slightly. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though; Eric's fond eyeroll was the last thing Harry saw before Dele pulled him out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I have been fighting to get here for so long. It took ages because I wanted to finish [I Let It Fall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22930297/chapters/54810301) first, and that one was fighting me hard on the last chapter. So def read that first 😁

Harry opened the door and tried not to smile. Paulo had his snood pulled all the way up over his mouth and nose, and his hat pulled down over his ears, leaving only a tiny space between them for his eyes to peek through. Somehow, without the distraction of the rest of his face, Harry was struck anew by just how beautiful Paulo's eyes were, pale aqua ringed with gorgeous long dark lashes.

"Hi," Harry said. He almost wanted to invite Paulo in for a bit, but that was dangerous. It was the last day of the bet, time for their second date, and thus far he had been successful at resisting whatever Paulo's plan was. _Just a few more hours and you'll win._ "Shall we go, then?"

"Sure," Paulo said, his voice somewhat muffled. Harry pulled on his coat, locked up, and had to force himself not to beam up at Paulo. "I left the car running so it would stay warm."

"No walking this time, then?"

Paulo shook his head. "It's too cold, and we're going somewhere a little further away this time."

Harry was glad enough to escape the cold, and Paulo's car was comfortably warm. Once they were on their way, Paulo pressed a button on the dash and to his surprise, Coldplay began to filter through the car speakers, and Harry automatically began to sing along. He thought he saw Paulo glance at him with a smile on his face, but oddly enough it didn't bother Harry the way it used to. It felt less like Paulo was laughing at him, somehow. 

When the song ended, Harry grinned over at Paulo. "Didn't know you like Coldplay."

Paulo gave him an odd, tiny smile but merely shrugged.

"So, ah… where are we going this time?" Harry asked. That smile was giving him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and Harry was eager to find something else to concentrate on.

"Another pub," Paulo admitted. "One near to my house that I like. I thought maybe we play pool."

"Pool?" Harry said, surprised. He hadn't really thought of Paulo as the pool type. It was a rather attractive thought, though. He pictured Paulo, bending over a pool table with a cue in his hands, those sea green eyes intent on what he was doing…

Harry swallowed. _Come on, stop that._ He tried to distract himself by thinking of Jan, but he just kept remembering the lone time he had seen Jan and Paulo together, that first day that Jan had come to Harry and explained what he wanted. Jan had been nervous and uncertain, and Paulo had gotten him past it by somewhat unconventional means-- he had made Jan get on his knees and suck him off…

That mental image wasn't much better. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on anything else. "Sounds good," he said. "I like pool. I'm not all that good at it, though."

Paulo grinned. "No problem. I can help you, if you want."

Harry pictured that. Paulo standing behind him, arms around him, helping him line up a shot, pressing close to him…

_Stop it, for fuck's sake,_ he told himself, fighting down the erection that was trying to develop in his pants. "Um, okay," he heard himself say. _Fuck. Why didn't I say no?_

He resumed singing along with the music then, not really trusting himself to avoid giving too much away, but the image of Paulo pushing him up against a pool table refused to go away.

When they got to the pub, though, the sign out on the sidewalk instantly dispelled it.

KARAOKE NIGHT

Paulo stopped dead in his tracks when he saw it, to Harry's astonishment. He turned and looked up at Paulo curiously. "You all right, mate?"

Paulo was frowning at the sign. "They must have change the schedule," he muttered. "I thought karaoke is on Tuesdays."

"Is that a problem?" Harry asked, puzzled. Jan had told him that Paulo had a beautiful voice, and the idea of seeing Paulo sing karaoke was intriguing.

Was it Harry's imagination, or was Paulo actually… blushing? It was hard to be sure, since Paulo had his snood pulled up again, but he hadn't put his hat back on, and his ears definitely looked slightly pink. Harry didn't think he had ever seen Paulo blush before this entirely surreal week had begun, and now he had seen it more than once. "No, is fine," Paulo mumbled, pulling the door open.

Harry followed him in, still afire with curiosity. They got a table and ordered their food quickly enough, but when Harry looked around, he realised that there were no free pool tables. He found himself slightly disappointed by that.

He enjoyed watching the karaoke, though. Seeing strangers get up and belt out a wide variety of songs was pretty entertaining. Some of the singers were better than others, of course, but even the poor singers were fun to watch. He could easily spot the ones who were having the most fun, though, since they kept coming back for more.

They were still waiting on their food when Harry, on an impulse born of sheer mischief, grinned across the table at Paulo. "So, what d'you say? Care to give it a try?"

Paulo shook his head, smiling faintly. "No, is okay. You can sing if you want, though."

Harry considered it. He didn't have the best voice in the world, but it was just a bit of fun, and he was pretty much immune to caring what strangers thought of him, so he wasn't worried about stage fright. The only person here whose opinion of him mattered at all was Paulo, he thought absently.

Then he blinked. _When did I start caring about Paulo's opinion of me?_

No, he told himself, it wasn't that he cared because it was _Paulo,_ it was just that he cared because Paulo was so important to Jan. Otherwise it wouldn't matter at all what Paulo thought of him.

Shaking off the slight uneasiness that lingered, he took another drink from his beer and stood up. _Why not._

He didn't do too badly, either. He picked out his usual favourite song for karaoke-- Puff Daddy's _I'll Be Missing You--_ and when he wasn't looking at the lyrics on the screen in front of him, he found himself scanning the pub for Paulo, to see if he was watching. 

And Paulo _was_ watching him, with that odd, small smile on his face. Seeing it made something heat up inside of Harry. By the time he finished the song, he was uncomfortably warm. 

Harry made his way back to the table through the noisy crowd, grinning at Paulo as he sat back down. He had to peel off his jumper, though; his tee shirt was starting to stick to his skin with sweat. He took another swig of his beer. "Not bad, eh?"

Paulo chuckled. "Very good."

"Your turn then, eh?" Harry teased him, leaning across the table to poke at Paulo, who he knew was extremely ticklish.

Paulo shook his head. "Nah, I cannot sing."

Harry frowned. Jan had definitely said Paulo had a good voice, hadn't he? "Aw, c'mon. It's just a bit of fun. Doesn't matter if you're any good or not." He saw Paulo bite his lip, and decided to unleash the most devastating weapon he had available to him. He rested his elbows on the table, put his chin in his hands, and looked up at Paulo with his very best puppy dog eyes. "Please? Pretty please?" he wheedled, batting his eyelashes.

He could see Paulo was wavering. He put his lower lip out, just enough for a hint of a pout, and Paulo sighed. "Okay, fine."

Harry sat back triumphantly as Paulo set down his drink and got to his feet. He watched thoughtfully as Paulo threaded his way through the crowd to the stage. _Wonder what kind of song he'll pick._

As it happened, he never found out. Paulo didn't even make it to the music starting. He got up on stage, took one look at the screen, then out at the crowd, and Harry saw his face crumple. Paulo jumped off the stage, shaking his head, and headed straight for the loo, leaving Harry staring after him in confusion. 

Harry flagged down their server and had a quick word, stuffed a small wad of cash in her hand, and headed for the toilets.

When he pushed open the door to the men's, he found Paulo standing at the sinks, clutching the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles had gone white. His head was down and Harry could hear him breathing, deep, shaky gasps for air.

"Paulo?" he said, as gently as he could. "Are you okay?"

Paulo didn't answer him, and when Harry stepped up next to him he was astonished to see tears on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, his stomach heavy as lead inside him. "I didn't… I had no idea…"

Paulo just shrugged, still not saying anything. Harry swallowed, biting back his guilt. "Come on, mate. Let's get out of here."

"No," Paulo croaked. "I don't want to ruin the date… our food…"

Harry took his arm firmly. He was too short to wrap an arm around Paulo's shoulders, but he found he was able to steer Paulo well enough by taking his elbow. "Don't be daft. I've had the server box up our food. We can eat at mine. Now c'mon."

The server met them at the door with their food. Harry slipped her an extra fifty for the bother and practically shoved Paulo out the door.

When they reached the car, Harry frowned up at Paulo. "All right, hand them over."

"W-what?" Paulo said, his voice still unrecognisable.

"Keys. Give."

Paulo looked like he might have wanted to object, but Harry scowled at him with as much ferocity as he could muster and Paulo yielded, handing Harry the car key.

They drove back to Harry's place in silence this time, with the satnav's monotone directions being the only words spoken. Harry was wrestling with a guilty conscience. What had possessed him to push Paulo into doing karaoke? And why had Paulo agreed, if it was this upsetting for him?

Harry had a little bit of difficulty hustling Paulo back into the house while also juggling the food and his keys, but he managed somehow. Once the door was shut behind them, he put down the food and focused on Paulo, all but pushing him into the living room. He managed to get the big keeper to land on the couch, where he lay full length and pressed his hands over his face, not looking at Harry at all.

"Paulo?" Harry said hesitantly. "What… how can I help? Should I call Jan, or your girlfriend, or something?"

Paulo shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said weakly. "I spoiled everything."

Harry frowned. _"You_ spoiled everything? I'm the one who badgered you into going up there. Reckon I should be the one apologising, not you. I didn't know it would give you a panic attack, or whatever it was, but I shouldn't have pushed you on it. I'm sorry."

Paulo was breathing more evenly now, but he still wouldn't take his hands away from his face. They sat in silence for another minute, then Harry cleared his throat. "Do you think you can eat? I should put the food away if not."

Paulo just shook his head, so Harry got to his feet and went to put the takeaway in the fridge. He grabbed two bottles of water, but paused before he went back to the living room. There was a strange feeling, something uncomfortably tight, in his chest. He had never seen Paulo so vulnerable before, and he couldn't quite sort out the way it was making him feel at the moment.

He swallowed hard, trying to dislodge whatever it was, and headed back to the living room. "Here," he said softly, touching one of the waters to the back of Paulo's hand. "Have a sip of water, it'll help."

Paulo finally lifted his hands away from his face to take it, letting Harry see the streaks of his tears underneath, and the tightness in Harry's chest was back.

Harry sat cross legged next to the couch, watching uneasily as Paulo opened the bottle and took a sip. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. "Why'd you do it?"

"What?" Paulo's voice was still rough, but it was steadier.

"Why'd you even try it? I mean, you knew you'd react like this, didn't you?"

Paulo shrugged. "Not for sure. I don't try to sing in front of anyone in a long time, except for my family, close friends."

_Jan,_ Harry thought with a wash of shame. It made sense. He was comfortable enough with Jan to sing around him. That was why Jan knew he had a beautiful voice. _Because Paulo loves him._

"Okay, but you didn't have to actually try it tonight, you know that, right? You could have told me to sod off or something."

Paulo laughed quietly. "No," he said, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "I couldn't."

"Why… why not?" Harry was suddenly afraid, suddenly wished he could take the question back. He almost didn't want to hear the answer.

Paulo opened his eyes and turned to look directly at Harry. His eyes were still beautiful, of course, but there was more to them now than Harry had really seen before. They were vulnerable, sensitive.

"Do you really not know?" Paulo asked, his voice wavering slightly.

Harry swallowed again and shook his head.

"Maybe that's for the best, then," Paulo said, closing his eyes again. He sighed and pushed himself up to a sitting position on the couch. "I think I should go."

"What?" Harry was taken aback by the suggestion-- and by how much he suddenly didn't want Paulo to leave.

"Are the takeout boxes marked? I'll grab my food and just go home. Don't tell Jan, yes? I don't want him to think I don't try my best."

"You don't have to go," Harry protested lamely.

Paulo got to his feet. "I think I should."

Harry stood up as well. "But…"

"But what?" Paulo was looking down at him now, and he looked so sad that Harry suddenly couldn't stand it anymore. He wrapped his arms around Paulo's waist and hugged him as tightly as he could.

"But I don't want you to," Harry heard himself say.

"Why not?" Paulo said quietly. "I mean, if I go now, you win, don't you?"

"I don't care about the stupid bet. I care about you," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. He felt Paulo tremble against him, and then Paulo's arms went around him.

"I-- I thought you didn't like me," Paulo said, so hesitantly that Harry thought his heart would break.

"Well," Harry said. "I… I do." He tipped his head back to look up at Paulo, and Paulo was looking down at him, and before he could stop to think about it he caught hold of Paulo's shirt, he was pulling Paulo's head down to his, and then he was kissing Paulo-- _he was kissing Paulo,_ and it felt wonderful and terrible, all at once.

Paulo froze against him, and Harry took advantage of it to push him back down to sit on the couch. He hooked one leg over Paulo's and slid onto his lap without breaking the kiss. He opened his mouth and ran his tongue along Paulo's lips, but Paulo didn't respond. Harry pulled his head back, suddenly worried.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have done that." He went to get up off of Paulo's lap, but Paulo had his arms around Harry now, holding him close.

"Don't apologise," Paulo whispered. "I just… is this what you really want? The bet--"

Harry made a frustrated noise. "I told you, I don't care about the fucking bet. I… I want you," he confessed. "I lose." He tried to kiss Paulo again, but Paulo held a finger to his lips.

"Wait, Harry. Are you really sure? You don't-- I mean, if you are feeling sorry for me or something--"

Harry shook his head stubbornly. "It's not that. I mean…" He searched for the right words. "It's not that I feel sorry for you. I just think… maybe I've had the wrong idea about you. I mean, I've known you for years, and I had no idea you were shy about singing. How did I not know that?"

Paulo shrugged. "I am shy in other things too. I don't exactly tell everyone this."

"I just… I don't know. I wish I'd seen all the things you don't show the world sooner. I wish I'd looked."

Paulo definitely blushed this time. Harry smiled and leaned in again. "So," he murmured. "What do you say? Can I kiss you? Please?"

Paulo gave a little laugh. "Well, I've been trying to stop myself from kissing you all evening, so--" He didn't get any further than that, though, because Harry was too impatient to wait for the rest of the sentence. He kissed Paulo eagerly, more eagerly than he had ever thought he would kiss anyone other than Jan, and this time Paulo's lips parted readily under his.

They kissed for a while like that, exploring each other slowly. Paulo ran a hand up and down Harry's back, stroking gently, while Harry wound his arms around Paulo's neck, unwilling to let go, irrationally afraid that he might try to leave again.

After a bit Paulo's hand wandered down a little further, until it was resting on the upper curve of Harry's arse. "Is this okay?" Paulo murmured.

Harry suddenly realised that not only was he completely hard, but he could feel that Paulo was hard underneath him as well. He shivered at the sensation; Paulo felt huge against him. He had seen Paulo's dick before, but he hadn't really been paying attention-- he had been too focused on Jan at the time.

_Jan,_ he thought with a flash of guilt. The irrational thought that he was cheating on Jan flitted through his mind. He wasn't, of course; this entire thing had been Jan's idea, after all. Harry still wasn't used to the idea of having more than one partner. But if this was what Jan wanted...

"Yes," he breathed, wiggling a little on Paulo's lap. "Touch me."

Paulo groaned a little as Harry pressed down against him, and his hands slid lower, until he was fully cupping Harry's arse. He gave it a gentle squeeze, making Harry squirm and moan into his mouth.

Harry scooted back on Paulo's lap, just enough so that he wasn't sitting directly over Paulo's fly, and he began trying to undo it without having to stop kissing Paulo.

"Harry," Paulo gasped, pulling back just a bit. "Wait."

Harry let out a soft whine at that, trying to chase Paulo's lips. Paulo's hands left his arse and caught his wrists, pulling his fingers away from the zipper. Paulo tipped his head forward and rested his forehead against Harry's.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, worried again. _What if he doesn't actually want me?_

"I just…" He laughed. "I find I don't want to make you lose the bet."

"Oh," Harry managed. "Oh, that-- that's okay, then. You don't have to go through with it, if you don't… don't…"

Paulo shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I would love to do this, believe me." He took hold of Harry's hand and brought it to the bulge in his jeans. "Believe me."

Harry whimpered. He realised that he hadn't gone this long without being fucked since his first time with Jan, last summer, and he wanted it more than he would have believed. "Please…"

"Shh," Paulo whispered. "Listen to me. The bet--"

Harry made a frustrated sound. "I keep telling you, I don't care about the bet."

"Be still, and listen," Paulo said sternly, and the tone was so similar to the one Jan used with him that Harry instantly subsided, dropping his eyes. He had almost forgotten, in all of this, that Paulo wasn't just Jan's other boyfriend-- he was Jan's Dom. He hadn't witnessed it very often, that side of him, but of course Jan would have learned how to dominate Harry from Paulo.

"Jan made this bet with you without asking me first," Paulo said. "I don't like when he does this. I punish him by giving him to Toby this week, but I think maybe I want to punish him more. You _are_ going to win the bet."

"But…" Harry said longingly.

Paulo smiled. "The week ends today, yes? That means, if you want, we can do this in the morning, and you will still win."

Harry sat with that for a moment. "I mean… I guess I do want to win, but I want you, too." He debated trying to use the puppy dog eyes again, but had a feeling that it wouldn't work this time.

"You can wait until then, surely?" Paulo's smile was wicked now. "It will be worth it, I promise."

Harry groaned and sighed. "I guess. May have to have a wank tonight, though."

"Me too," Paulo admitted. "You have no idea how hard it is to resist you. I can see why Jan can't."

Harry blushed. "Do you think it would count against me if we did it together?"

Paulo thought about it for a moment, and then a slow smile spread across his face. "You know, I don't think it would," he said, and his voice was all low and rumbly and god, Harry wanted to hear more of him talking like _that._

Harry reluctantly got off of Paulo's lap, grabbed a box of tissues, and sat down again, on the other end of the couch from Paulo this time, feeling suddenly shy.

Luckily, it seemed that sex was _not_ one of the things Paulo was shy about. He gave Harry a smile that sent a shiver through his entire body, and picked up where Harry had left off, lowering the zipper on his jeans. He didn't just reach in and pull his dick out, either; he leaned back and raised his hips, enough to push jeans and underwear both down around his thighs. 

Harry stared. He'd seen Paulo's dick before, felt it pressed up against him, but this was his first time getting a good look at it, the first time it was for _him,_ not for Jan. He wanted to get up, say fuck the bet, get his mouth on it, beg Paulo to fuck him, but Paulo's eyes were on him, pinning him in place, and he couldn't look away, couldn't move. He fumbled at his belt, managed to get his own trousers open, lifted up just enough to push them down, all without taking his eyes off of Paulo.

Harry wrapped a hand around his dick and squeezed lightly, sending a shiver through his entire body. Paulo's eyes moved from his face down to his crotch and back up, and he licked his lips. "Harry," he whispered, sliding his hand up and down his dick. "You are so beautiful."

Harry blushed, his hand matching Paulo's rhythm. "Look who's talking," he said with an attempt at lightness, but his voice was shaky.

"Tell me what you want me to do with you in the morning," Paulo instructed him. "Should I come and get in your bed with you?"

Harry nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I-- I want you to come wake me up, pull the covers off me, pull my pyjamas off, pin me down and kiss me. I want your hands on me, want you to touch me everywhere, please…"

"Oh, I will," Paulo breathed. "I'll run my hands over every bit of you, learn what your skin feels like, tastes like, where you like being touched the most." He smirked at Harry then, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet his lips. "What else?"

"Want you to kiss me," Harry said longingly. "Want you to kiss me everywhere, I want to kiss _you_ everywhere. Want to try to suck your dick…"

Paulo gave a low chuckle. "You would look so good with my cock in your mouth," he growled. "I'd love for you to suck me, love to come in your mouth, but I don't think that's where you want me to come, hm?"

Harry flushed and shook his head frantically, his hand moving faster. "Some time yes, I want to make you come in my mouth, but not tomorrow. Tomorrow I need you to fuck me, need you inside me, _please…"_

Paulo's smile was hungry, predatory, his hand moving faster and faster. "Oh, I will," he purred. "I can't wait to get my cock into you, spread you open and fuck you. I'm going to make you come with me inside you."

Harry gasped, imagining it. He wanted to ride Paulo, bend over for him, spread his legs and wrap them around Paulo's waist. "Please," he whimpered, tightening his grip on his dripping cock. "Paulo, please, fuck me, _please,_ fuck…"

"I will," Paulo promised. "I'm going to fuck you so hard, Harry, going to come in you, make you come, _fuck…"_ He gasped, and Harry saw him slow down and squeeze his dick. He leaned forward and grabbed a tissue from the box Harry had set between them. "Harry, Harry, I'm going to come, _Harry…"_

"Yes," Harry breathed, staring. He was moving his hips now, thrusting wildly into his fist, watching Paulo come was making him crazy. "Paulo, fuck…"

He grabbed for a tissue of his own, barely in time to catch the cum that was spilling from his dick. "Paulo," he whimpered, working himself messily through the orgasm. "Paulo."

"Harry," Paulo whispered, sagging back against the couch cushions. "It's going to be so good."

Harry shivered as he came down. He couldn't quite believe they had just done that, but he couldn't bring himself to be sorry. He finished wiping himself clean and did his trousers up again, aware that he was blushing more than ever. When he sat down after binning the cum-stained tissues, he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling self-conscious again.

"Harry?" Paulo said softly, and he sounded uncertain. "Are you okay?"

Harry swallowed and nodded. "Just a little… overwhelmed," he admitted, opening his eyes. "Feels like this happened so fast." When he looked up, he saw that Paulo was biting his lip.

"Can I-- can I hug you?" Paulo asked hesitantly, just like he had on their first date. Harry had to smile at how adorable Paulo was like this-- another surprise.

"Sure." Harry scooted closer to Paulo, still feeling shy.

Paulo, however, didn't appear to share his diffidence. He reached out and scooped Harry up, settling him in his lap and twining those long arms around him. Up close, his eyes were even more beautiful than usual, and they were full of something Harry couldn't name.

"We don't have to do anything, if you don't want to," Paulo said gently.

Harry blinked. "No, I-- I do want to," he protested. "It's just…" 

"Yes?" Paulo prompted, squeezing him just a bit tighter.

Harry surprised himself by giggling. "I just hate it when Jan is right," he confessed, and Paulo laughed.

"Don't worry, he is going to pay for daring to be right," Paulo said with an evil grin. "Has been all week, in fact."

Harry suddenly remembered something Paulo had said earlier. "Did you say you _gave_ him to Toby?"

"Temporarily, but yes. He probably suck Toby's dick at least a dozen times this week. By the time your week is up, maybe his jaw freeze like that." They giggled together for a minute, and Harry felt better.

"The thing is, though, it's not…" Harry stopped to think for a moment. "This didn't go the way I expected at all."

"Oh?" Paulo lifted an eyebrow.

"I-- I thought you were just going to spend the whole week trying to get in my pants," Harry tried to explain. "I wasn't… I didn't expect you to just… be my friend again."

Paulo smiled at him. "Honestly, that was the most important thing to me," he admitted. "I don't like how things are with us since Jan and I are together."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, embarrassed. "I was an arse."

"A bit, yes, but it is hard to blame you. Jealousy make us do things, say things we don't really mean."

"S'pose so. You weren't really doing anything wrong, either. It's not like you knew how I felt about Jan."

Paulo went still against him for a moment. Harry frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Paulo swallowed and looked away. "I did know."

"You-- what? You _knew?_ But… how?"

"I just see," Paulo mumbled. "How you look at him, how you talk about him…"

There was a small lump of ice forming inside of Harry now. It felt like it was growing with every moment that passed as Harry processed what Paulo was saying. 

"How long? How long did you know?"

Paulo didn't answer him. Harry pulled away from him; the lump of ice had to be at least the size of a fist by now. Harry backed a foot or so away from where Paulo was sitting.

_"How long?"_ Harry demanded.

"Since… well, not long after I come to Spurs," Paulo said in a small voice.

Harry's ears were ringing. His entire chest seemed to be made of ice now. "You knew all along," he whispered. "You _knew_ and you went after him anyway. You pretended to be my friend and you went after him anyway."

There were tears clouding Paulo's eyes now. "Harry, I'm sorry, I--"

"Shut up," Harry snapped, ignoring the tears that sprang to his own eyes. "I can't believe this. Can't believe I fell for this."

He wheeled around and staggered off to his bedroom. He could dimly hear Paulo calling after him, but he was done listening.

He slammed the door to his bedroom, locked it, collapsed on his bed without undressing, and cried himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh, my apologies to whoever commented on chapter 7 alerting me to the fact that chapter 6 wasn't working right. Turns out I accidentally created two chapter drafts?? There were only supposed to be six chapters published for now. So I posted chapter 6 and deleted chapter 7 since it was a duplicate. However that also deleted the comment that alerted me to it and now I don't know how to find the commenter to let them know bc apparently I am Bad At Technology 🤦


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While not an absolute must, I would suggest that you read chapters 1-4 of [And When You're Done I'll Make You Do It All Again](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25639345/chapters/62241970) first.

Harry rolled over and blinked blearily at the darkness. He was disoriented, his mind hazy, as if he had had too much to drink.  _ What time is it? _

He was definitely uncomfortable, he decided. It took him a moment to sort out, but by the time he got himself upright, he had concluded that he was starving, cold, he really needed to pee, and he'd fallen asleep in his clothes.

He stripped off his jeans and stumbled to the toilet. When he came back, he dug some joggers and a jumper out, then found his house slippers.  _ Food, _ he thought, automatically looking around for his phone.

He squinted at the painfully bright screen.  _ Fuck, not even six yet. Need to get a snack and then I'm going back to sleep. _

He glanced at his notifications then, though, and promptly forgot all about being hungry.

_ >>From: Paulo G [21:37]: Harry, I'm so sorry _  
_ >>From: Paulo G [21:58]: I never meant to hurt you _

Harry rubbed his forehead. "Fuck," he muttered. The previous night was flooding back now, everything that had happened. Paulo having a panic attack at karaoke. Taking Paulo home. Kissing Paulo. Begging Paulo to fuck him. Finding out that Paulo had known that Harry was in love with Jan, had known all along.

He slumped down on the bed again. He remembered storming away from Paulo, leaving him in the living room. He had been crying, too. Harry's stomach twisted.

Okay, so Paulo had known. But did that actually mean anything? What was Paulo meant to have done? Harry wouldn't have thanked Paulo for telling Jan. Paulo hadn't owed Harry anything, hadn't been obligated to check with Harry before he had gotten involved with Jan. And Jan hadn't done anything wrong, either. Harry didn't own him, didn't have any greater claim on him than Paulo did.

Harry swallowed. His chest was painfully tight again. He'd accused Paulo of pretending to be his friend, but all he could see now, looking back, was just how good a friend Paulo had been. Little things, through the years. Giving him a hug, an encouraging smile, when Harry had needed it, oftentimes when Harry had been moping after Jan. Paulo had never said anything, but Harry could see it now, how often Paulo had distracted him whenever Harry had been especially jealous of Jan paying attention to someone else. Paulo had encouraged Jan to pursue him in the first place, despite what a brat Harry had been about Paulo. Helped Jan sort out his feelings, learn how to handle his desire to dominate Harry.

And Harry had snapped at him, just when things had finally seemed to be okay between them again-- maybe more than okay. His childish jealousy had probably ruined something that could have been amazing.

He took a deep breath. It was too early to expect a response if he texted Paulo back, so the best thing to do would probably be to get something to eat, maybe get another hour or so of sleep, then try to get ahold of Paulo.

He opened the door to his bedroom, his mind on the takeaway he'd never actually eaten last night, but he stumbled over something just outside his door-- something oddly soft. Something that moved.

_ "Shit,"  _ Harry hissed. "What the--?"

"Harry?" 

Harry clapped a hand to his chest and fumbled with his phone with the other, switching on the torch function.

"Paulo?"

And it was Paulo, his long limbs curled up into a remarkably small ball on the floor. He was shivering, and even in the weird, too-bright light of the torch on his phone, Harry could see how red his eyes were.

"What are you doing? Did you-- did you  _ sleep _ there?"

Paulo nodded, sitting up and hugging his knees.

"I thought you must've gone home for sure." Harry managed to find and switch on the lights, making Paulo squint against the sudden brightness.

Harry frowned, sitting down next to Paulo. "Why  _ didn't _ you go home?"

"I'm sorry," Paulo said quickly. "I know you must want me to, and I will, I just want to apologise properly first."

Harry shook his head. "Paulo, stop. You don't--"

"Please," Paulo said, sounding miserable. "I just need to tell you how sorry I am. I did figure out how you feel about Jan a long time ago. I feel bad for you, I don't think Jan would return it, but before I know it I'm there with you, I have a crush on Jan too, from as soon as I really start to get to know him. Maybe I should say something when I start things with Jan, but it's not my secret to tell, and I--"

"Paulo," Harry said again. "Please stop. You don't have to explain anything."

"But I do, I'm so sorry, I was so happy last night and then I ruin it, I--"

_ "Paulo," _ Harry repeated, louder this time. "I'm the one that needs to apologise, not you." He made a face, recalling that he'd said almost the exact same thing last night. "I overreacted. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I-- what?"

Harry suppressed a giggle at how confused Paulo looked. "You didn't do anything wrong," he said again. "I'm grateful you kept my secret, grateful you steered Jan towards me once he did finally find out. You-- you've been such a good friend, and I was being stupid. I'm sorry."

Paulo let out a long, slow breath. "I… wasun't expecting that," he said finally. He sounded almost sheepish. "I practise that speech last night. Now I don't know what to say."

Harry smiled shyly. "You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad you're still here."

"You are?" Paulo was looking at him, and something about those pale blue-green eyes looked so fragile, like the wrong word would make him shatter like glass.

"Yes," Harry whispered. He leaned a little closer to Paulo. "After all, we had plans for today, didn't we?"

Paulo blinked at him. "You mean you still want--?"

"If you do," Harry said softly, his eyes going to Paulo's lips.  _ God, I want to kiss him. _

He watched Paulo's eyes change, the fragility disappearing as Paulo looked Harry up and down.  _ "Sí, _ I want," he said, and he leaned in, his lips were soft and wonderful on Harry's…

Harry's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly, and Harry laughed, blushing. "Sorry," he said with a grin. "Turns out flouncing off to bed without dinner wasn't such a good idea."

Paulo grinned back at him, his face creasing in one of his beautiful crinkly smiles. "Not quite  _ flounce," _ he said diplomatically.

"Oh yes, I did. Believe me, that was a grade A flounce, my friend." Harry got up and offered a hand to help pull Paulo to his feet.

They ate their takeaway in the kitchen quickly, with little conversation. For some reason, neither of them cared to linger long over "breakfast."

When they were done, Harry made a face. "Wish I'd ordered something a little less garlicky," he said apologetically. "Think I ought to go brush my teeth."

Paulo made a similar face. "I wish I have my toothbrush with me," he said. "Don't think you enjoy kissing me right now."

Harry laughed. "I have an extra one, if you want," he offered, giggling when Paulo's eyes lit up.

It felt strange, brushing his teeth with Paulo, getting ready for… well, for whatever was about to happen. They had talked about what they wanted last night, but things felt different this morning, somehow.

Finally they were done, and Harry shuffled his feet uncertainly. He wished he was braver in moments like these, but he was suddenly rooted to the spot.

"Harry," Paulo said gently, and Harry looked up to see Paulo watching him carefully. "Come here."

Harry stepped closer to him obediently, aware that he was blushing yet again.

Paulo cupped his chin in one hand and tilted Harry's head up. There was concern in those incredible eyes of his.

"We don't have to do anything today, you know," he said. "We go through a lot in the last twelve hours. Is okay if you change your mind."

Harry squirmed, wishing he could find his voice, but being this close to Paulo, with nothing stopping them except themselves, seemed to have robbed him of speech.

He wound his arms around Paulo's waist instead and closed his eyes, head still tilted up.  _ Kiss me, _ he pleaded silently.

Or maybe he said it out loud. He wasn't quite sure, but it didn't matter, because Paulo  _ did  _ kiss him. Softly at first, but when Harry whimpered and pressed himself closer to Paulo, it turned less soft, more hungry, and it was perfect.

Harry reached up for Paulo, suddenly desperate. He wanted to put his arms around Paulo's neck, but he couldn't quite reach. He whined pitifully, and then Paulo was lifting him off his feet, still kissing him, and he was carrying him back into the bedroom.

"Paulo," Harry sighed, kissing him eagerly, hands in Paulo's hair, pulling him close. Paulo carried him to the bed as if he didn't weigh anything, laid him down, and stood over him for a moment, looking him up and down. Harry shivered at the look in his eyes.

"You're sure?" Paulo said, and there was a painful vulnerability in his voice, his eyes. Harry hated that he had put it there.

"Yes, sir," Harry whispered, and it was like he had flipped a switch. Paulo all but fell on him, kissing him as if he might never get another chance, tearing at his clothes. Harry moaned deep in his throat and tugged at Paulo's shirt, only to find his wrists pinned to the bed in one strong hand.

"Be still," Paulo growled, and Harry's hardening dick twitched at the command in his voice. He closed his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed, but Paulo clicked his tongue. "Eyes open, Harry."

When Harry obeyed, he saw Paulo staring at him with an intensity Harry had never seen from him before, even as one hand slid down to roughly palm Harry through his joggers. Harry whimpered and pushed his hips up against Paulo's hand, seeking more, but Paulo took his hand away with a low chuckle.

"Needy boy," Paulo rumbled. "You want me to touch you?"

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "Please," he whispered. "Please, I need you, I do,  _ please _ touch me."

"Don't worry," Paulo promised him. "I plan to." He released Harry's wrists and turned his attention to getting Harry out of his clothes, wrestling the joggers, tee shirt, and jumper off and tossing them casually to the floor. He stood still for a moment, his eyes lingering over every inch of Harry's body. Harry tried to lie still, trembling under Paulo's scrutiny.

"You are beautiful," Paulo whispered, resting a gentle hand on Harry's ribcage. Harry blushed. He wanted to beg Paulo to take off his own clothes, or to let Harry do it, but he couldn't possibly speak when Paulo was looking at him like that.

Fortunately, Paulo seemed to know anyway. He straightened up to peel off his own tee shirt, making Harry suck in a breath as he watched. Paulo's skin seemed to almost glow in the dim light.

When Paulo began to slowly undo his jeans, though, Harry couldn't take it anymore. He began squirming on the bed and whimpering. "Please," he whispered.  _ "Please." _

Paulo chuckled. "No patience at all. But I suppose is understandable after this week." He didn't move any faster, though, dragging his zipper down agonisingly slowly. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from begging Paulo to move faster. He knew perfectly well that Paulo was enjoying tormenting him like this, and he didn't want to take that away from him.

Finally Paulo was stood naked in front of him, and Harry couldn't stifle a gasp at how gorgeous he really was, all smooth golden skin and long, muscular limbs. Paulo's cock was full and heavy in his hand, and Harry licked his lips.

Paulo noticed and smiled at him. "You want to taste me, Harry?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and Paulo stepped up to the edge of the bed and crooked a finger at him. "Go ahead, then."

Harry sat up and scooted closer, reached out hesitantly. Getting his hand, his mouth, on Paulo's dick at last felt special, somehow. 

He wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't able to get very much of it in his mouth, but he didn't care, because it was hot and hard and wonderful. He moaned around it, sliding his tongue up and down along the underside, each soft noise that Paulo made sending a thrill through him.

After only a minute, though, Paulo was pulling him off again. "Ah, you need to stop that, or this will be over sooner than I like," he gasped, and Harry shivered with delight that he was able to affect Paulo like that. Paulo moved on top of him, pushing him to lie down again, kissing him, hands roaming over every bit of Harry's skin.

Harry shuddered when Paulo's fingers trailed over his thighs, skirting his dick, and slid further down to brush lightly against his hole. "You like this?" Paulo asked softly.

"Yes," Harry whispered. "Please, sir."

Paulo growled and kissed him fiercely. "If you keep calling me this, I may not give you back to Jan," he said, his voice dark, and Harry whimpered. His fingers continued to explore, pressing lightly at Harry's rim.

"Do you have lube? I didn't bring any," Paulo said, withdrawing his fingers, and Harry whined.

"Top drawer," he got out in a shaky voice.

Paulo leaned to the side and stretched an arm out to the nightstand, managing to get it open without having to get off of Harry. He was back only a moment later, devouring Harry's mouth again, newly slick fingers sliding into him, working him open slowly and carefully. Harry moaned and whined by turns as Paulo fucked him with his fingers with excruciating, delicious care.

Finally Paulo withdrew again, leaving Harry gasping for breath and writhing on the bed. "Please," he whimpered, only half aware of Paulo rolling a condom down over his dick. "Please…"

"Don't worry, needy boy," Paulo murmured. "I'm not done with you yet."

Harry wriggled impatiently, looking up at Paulo through heavy-lidded eyes. "Paulo," he said in a low moan.  _ "Please." _

Then Paulo was on him again, kissing him hungrily, his hand sliding around Harry's waist, lifting him, tilting his ass up. Harry lifted his legs, spread them wide, bent at the knee, ready for Paulo at last.

Paulo met his eyes, and that vulnerability was still visible in them, alongside the confident dominance. Harry didn't know how he had always missed it before. "Harry…" he whispered, and it was partly a question. 

"Please," Harry all but begged. "Please fuck me, Paulo. Please, I need you…"

Paulo lowered his head to kiss Harry again, one hand moving down to line himself up, and oh, he was pressing into Harry now, and it was almost too much, but at the same time it wasn't nearly enough.

Harry drew in a deep, shaky breath, clutching at Paulo's arms. He had thought Paulo seemed to be bigger than Jan, but now he was sure of it. Or maybe it was just that he hadn't had Jan inside him for a week now. Regardless, Paulo pushing into him was quickly overwhelming him, reducing him to a whimpering mess.

_ "¿Estás bien?" _ Paulo whispered, his voice rough with desire.

"Yeah," Harry breathed. "You're just… big."

Paulo smiled, blushing faintly, and kissed Harry gently. "I'll start slow," he promised. "Tell me if it is too much, yes?"

Harry nodded, closing his eyes briefly, willing his body to relax.

"That's it," Paulo whispered encouragingly as he felt Harry gradually melting underneath him. "Such a good boy." He began rolling his hips, slowly, just a little bit at a time.

"Paulo…" Harry sighed, shifting his legs to settle them around Paulo's waist. "So good…"

Paulo buried his face in Harry's neck, his breath coming hot and fast against freckled skin. "You are amazing," he murmured, thrusting a little faster now. "So sweet and so tight. Don't know how Jan can stand not being buried inside you all the time."

"Easy…" mumbled Harry. "If he were in me all the time, he wouldn't get to have you fuck him, and can't say I blame him, now that I know how fucking good it is with you…"

Paulo just groaned in response, sucking a bruise into Harry's soft skin. They didn't say much else after that; they were both too caught up in what they were doing to be able to form words. Harry had never slept with anyone but Jan, never wanted anyone but him, but this… Harry knew he'd never be the same after this, after Paulo. 

He kissed Paulo, kissed his neck, ears, shoulders, any part of him he could reach, anything to be as close to Paulo as possible. He dug his heels into the small of Paulo's back, moaning incoherently as Paulo moved inside him faster, harder, more urgently on every stroke.

"Paulo," he whispered as he came, his eyes squeezed shut against the tears that were inexplicably leaking out. "Paulo."

"Harry," Paulo breathed, claiming Harry's mouth for one last searing kiss as he thrust into Harry with all his strength, shuddering and jerking against Harry in a way he'd never imagined before.

They lay together, breathing heavily, for a moment, and then Paulo was pushing himself up off of Harry, pulling out of him, getting off the bed and heading into the adjoining bathroom. Harry was left to come down on his own, breathing shakily. He groped blindly at the nightstand for a tissue to wipe himself off, then slumped back down, covering his face with his hands, shivering with realisation at how significant this had been.

He'd had sex with someone besides Jan. Oh, he knew Jan was okay with it, they'd never pretended to be exclusive at any point-- that would have been farcical on its face, given that Jan was married. But Harry had never thought of himself as someone who would be in a committed relationship and then turn around and sleep with someone else. It was a disconcerting thought, and he had to close his eyes and breathe through the surge of anxiety that the cognitive dissonance was causing him.

"Harry?" The bed sagged under him as Paulo sat back down.  _ "¿Estás bien?" _

Harry shrugged. "Fine," he mumbled, trying to get his breathing to slow to something approximating a normal rate.

He could tell that Paulo had laid down next to him, scrupulously keeping a sliver of space between them.  _ Even he doesn't want to touch me now. _

"You don't look fine," Paulo said quietly. "Can I do anything?"

Harry shrugged again. "Nah," he lied quickly. "Just a little overwhelmed, is all." It was close enough to the truth, and in spite of everything, he didn't really feel like he could discuss this with Paulo. How could he possibly understand?

"Can I hold you?" Paulo asked gently, so gently that it made Harry want to cry. Paulo had kept asking him that all week, asking if it was okay to hug him, to put his arms around him, and something about that careful consideration broke down Harry's walls every time.

"Really? I mean-- if you want to," Harry said quickly, trying to sound casual.

Paulo didn't answer, just pulled Harry into his arms, dropping kisses on his hair and cradling him close. "It's okay," he murmured finally. "Whatever you are feeling, it's okay."

"How… what do you mean?" Harry said stiffly, not relaxing in Paulo's embrace.

"You just seem… unsettled," Paulo answered softly. "I don't know why, of course, but if you want to talk about it, I am here. If not, that's okay too," he added. "Either way, I'd like to just stay here and cuddle you for a while, if you'll let me."

Harry couldn't answer. Of all the conflicting emotions and thoughts that were turning his mind into a tempest right now, surprise and… gratitude?... suddenly surged to the fore. He hadn't expected Paulo to be so sweet, so sensitive, and he didn't know how to respond.

Paulo squeezed him carefully. "Thank you, by the way," he murmured. "For all this week. You don't have to do any of this, let me in at all, but I'm really glad you did."

Harry surprised himself by letting out a brief, sharp sob, and then he was crying, burying his face in Paulo's chest. Paulo stilled momentarily in surprise, but then his arms tightened around Harry again, and he kissed Harry's forehead firmly.

Paulo didn't say anything for a few minutes, letting Harry get it out. Only when Harry began to subside did he speak up. "Are you sorry… that you and I…?"

Harry could hear the pain in his voice, could tell how much it had cost him to ask. He drew in a shaky breath and thought for a moment. "I don't… not exactly," he mumbled. Paulo stiffened slightly.

"If I… if I did anything you regret… Harry, I am so sorry," Paulo said, and Harry could hear the panic, the anxiety in his voice. "Should I… should I go?"

"No," Harry said emphatically. "Please don't."

Paulo's arms tightened around him again, and Harry heard him exhale slowly. "I won't," he said reassuringly. "Not if you want me to stay."

Harry nestled closer to him. "I just… I don't know. I never thought I would do this, y'know? I figured that while I'm with Jan, I'd  _ only _ be with Jan. I just… I guess I'm trying to figure out how I feel about this, about sleeping with you while I'm in a relationship with Jan. About  _ wanting _ to sleep with you while I'm with Jan," he said hesitantly.

"Ah," Paulo said, a little uncertainly. "Do you worry it is not right?"

"I… guess?" Harry was none too certain himself. "I mean, what if Jan thinks less of me for it?"

Paulo shook his head. "Never happen," he said fiercely. "Jan has more than one lover, after all, and so do I. Do you think Jan think less of me for it?"

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. "But it's different, isn't it? I mean… you're not Jan's sub. What if he feels, I dunno, possessive or something? Gets angry, or jealous?"

"Harry," Paulo said sternly. "If he is likely to feel that way, would he have suggest this in the first place? Isn't it more likely he'll be glad?"

"But--" Harry started to object, though it felt feeble, even to him.

"Stop," Paulo growled, in such a forceful voice that Harry instantly tried to drop his eyes to the floor, which didn’t really work while he was lying down. 

"Listen to me," Paulo said firmly. "I understand why you feel like this, I do. Most people might feel this way. But Jan is not most people, yes?" 

Harry squirmed in Paulo's arms. "Of course, but…"

"Hush," Paulo rumbled. "I promise you, Jan will not think any less of you for this. If he did, he have to answer to me. But there is no way he will, I promise."

Harry lay with that quietly for a while, gradually relaxing again. Paulo's emphatic words echoed what the logical part of Harry had been insisting all along, and Harry was a practised enough submissive now to be inclined to accede to someone as Dominant as Paulo.

But still…

"I love him so much," Harry whispered into the stillness.

"I know," Paulo replied softly. "I do too."

_ He does, _ Harry thought.  _ He really does.  _ Maybe sharing that was more important than he had realised.

Paulo held him close for a long time, snuggling under the rumpled covers on Harry's bed. Harry's head was laid against Paulo's chest, ear directly over his heart, and Harry listened to the steady beat of it, feeling strangely content, while Paulo idly massaged Harry's back with one strong hand.

They were eventually interrupted by a distant ringing sound. Paulo stirred and grumbled. "That is my phone," he muttered. "I leave it in the kitchen, I think."

"Sounds like FaceTime," Harry murmured drowsily.

_ "Sí, _ I think you are right," Paulo said, carefully untangling himself. Harry pouted and made a disconsolate sound, reaching out for him, but Paulo just smiled. "I'll be right back," he promised.

Harry shifted onto his side and propped his head up on one hand to watch Paulo go. He didn't think he could ever get tired of admiring just how beautiful he was. 

True to his word, Paulo returned shortly, frowning at the screen. "Missed the call," he explained, sliding under the sheets next to Harry again. Harry immediately nestled into Paulo's side again; he was not a fan of anything interrupting or cutting short the post-coital cuddling.

Paulo pulled Harry in close with one arm while he fiddled with his phone with the other hand. "It was Jan," he said, his voice delighted. "Should we call him back?"

Harry laughed. "If he sees us like this, he'll think he won."

Paulo chuckled. "Won't he be disappointed to hear the truth?"

"Call him back," Harry said with a naughty giggle.

To their surprise, when the call was picked up, it wasn't Jan whose face appeared on the screen. It was Toby.

_ "Hi," _ he said, sounding a bit breathless.  _ "I'm afraid Jan can't come to the phone just now." _

"And why not,  _ liefje?" _ Paulo asked. 

_ "Well, it's not polite to talk with your mouth full, is it?" _ Toby said, grinning. He moved the phone away from his face, angling it so that the camera travelled down his body-- naked, Harry noticed-- down to his crotch, where an equally naked Jan was bobbing his head up and down, sucking Toby's cock with everything he could muster.

"Well, don't let us interrupt," Paulo said, his voice dark and lustful. "Have you been working him hard all week?"

_ "Yes,"  _ Toby sighed, tangling the fingers of his free hand in Jan's hair.  _ "Oh, god, yes… you'd think he'd be sick of giving head by now, but he says he loves it more than ever." _

"Good," Paulo rumbled, winking at Harry. "He's much too good with that mouth; it would be a shame for him to not want to use it."

_ A whole week of Jan sucking me off whenever I want, _ Harry thought, feeling himself hardening against Paulo's leg in spite of himself.

Paulo made a low noise in his throat, almost a purr, and shifted his leg just enough to rub against Harry a bit. "Needy boy," he whispered.

Harry blushed but didn't try to deny it. On the screen, Toby had moved the camera back up to his face, showing how his head was thrown back against a pillow now, eyes closed and mouth open. Harry stared in fascination; he had never seen Toby like this before, never once watched him with Jan or Paulo. He wasn't particularly interested in Toby himself, but it was still compelling to see him like this, knowing that Jan was doing this to him.

_ "Fuck, Jantje,"  _ Toby moaned.  _ "I'm close, Jan, fuck…" _

"Are you going to come,  _ cielito?"  _ Paulo purred. "Go on, come down Jan's throat for me, my good boy…"

Toby let out a deep groan at Paulo's words and apparently dropped the phone, because the screen shifted to show what looked like a ceiling. They could still hear well enough, though, as Toby continued to whimper and moan.  _ "Yes sir, Paulo, I'm coming, fuck… Jan…" _

Harry shivered, picturing Jan swallowing a mouthful of Toby's cum, and ground his erection a little more firmly into Paulo's thigh.

Paulo growled softly and turned to kiss Harry. "Do you want more?" he whispered.

"Yes," Harry breathed.

"Just wait," Paulo murmured back, and a wave of heat went through Harry's entire body.

The image on the screen changed again, to show Jan's smiling face. He was laying on the bed next to Toby now, grinning at them even as Toby snuggled close to him.

_ "Well, look at you two," _ he said smugly, and his voice was all hoarse and scratchy.  _ "I take it the week went well?" _

"You could say that," Paulo said slyly. "What do you think, Harry?"

"I think I'm looking forward to a week's worth of blowjobs," Harry said, grinning at the look on Jan's face.

_ "What? No way, I won! Look at you both. That's Harry's after-sex face, I'd know it anywhere." _

"Oh, you're right about that," Paulo said. "But we didn't actually do anything until this morning."

Jan's face fell.  _ "But-- that's not--" _

"You said one week," Harry reminded him cheekily. "I held out for one week."

Jan looked like he wanted to pout, maybe keep arguing, but next to him Toby stirred.  _ "Let it go, Jantje,"  _ he said in a sleepy voice.  _ "The whole point was to get them to get along better, wasn't it? I'd say it worked." _

"Yes, I think it did," Paulo said softly, turning to look into Harry's eyes. Harry shivered and pressed closer to him, pushing his cock into Paulo's leg again.

_ "I suppose that's worth a week of blowjobs,"  _ Jan said, sulkily.  _ "Doesn't seem entirely fair, though." _

"Ah, don't worry,  _ schatje," _ Paulo rumbled. "I will make it up to you."

_ "Ooh, how?" _

Paulo considered for a moment, then quirked an eyebrow at Harry, who nodded eagerly. He wasn't entirely sure what Paulo had in mind, but he would go along with just about anything Paulo wanted at this point.

"I think poor Harry suffer a lot in this last week without you," Paulo said with a wicked smile. "I don't think once is enough to make up for it. Would you like to watch me fuck him again, Jan?"

Even on the small screen of Paulo's phone Harry could see Jan's eyes go dark.  _ "Yes," _ he said in a voice that was nearly a growl.  _ "Yes sir, fuck my little slut, please." _

Paulo made a satisfied purring sound. "I can do that."

Jan looked from Paulo to Harry then.  _ "And you, Wingzy, are you going to be a good boy for Paulo? Like you are for me?" _

"Yes, sir," Harry moaned. As much as he was enjoying the change in his relationship with Paulo, he couldn't deny that he absolutely belonged to Jan, and he was eager to obey. He squirmed against Paulo. "Please," he whimpered. "I need you again, please…"

Paulo kissed him, almost savagely, and Harry thought he heard Jan moan at the sight. Paulo reached over and propped his phone up against a lamp, carefully aiming it so that the camera was still pointed straight at them. Then he lay down on his back and pulled Harry on top of him, kissing him and sliding one hand down Harry's back to cup his arse, squeezing gently, one finger dipping inside. The other hand slid up to tangle in Harry's hair.

Harry positively writhed on top of Paulo, sucking on his tongue and moving his hips until his cock was pressing up against Paulo's, relishing how hard Paulo was. He wanted to lift his hips up, slide himself down on Paulo, but even through the haze of lust that filled his mind he knew they needed lube at the very least. Still, he couldn't stop himself from grinding down against the bigger man and whining softly into his mouth.

Paulo broke away with a groan and pulled Harry's head back, making him arch his back. "What a needy boy you have here, my Jan," he growled.

_ "I know,"  _ Jan murmured.  _ "Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up." _

"Well, I take care of him for you this time," Paulo promised. "Want to go for a ride, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry whimpered. "Please…"

"Get me ready, then," Paulo said with a commanding note in his voice, releasing his grip on Harry's hair. Harry scrambled off of Paulo and hastily grabbed the lube and a condom from the drawer. When he turned back to Paulo, he noticed that Toby's face had disappeared from the screen. Jan was biting his lip, watching intently.

_ "Go on, baby," _ he said softly.

Harry tore his eyes away from Jan and looked down at Paulo, who was watching him every bit as intently as Jan. "Go ahead," he told Harry.

Harry was about to tear open the condom when a thought came to him. "Could I suck you a little bit first? Please?"

Paulo gave him a hungry smile. "Only for a minute, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said eagerly, and lowered his head quickly to avoid blushing any further. Paulo's cock filled his mouth perfectly, hot against his tongue, and he wrapped a hand around what he couldn't fit in his mouth, stroking gently, rubbing his thumb against the thick vein on the underside.

"Ah," Paulo sighed, resting one hand on Harry's head.  _ "Harry, _ you are so good, my god. You make me want to just let you keep doing this, let you make me come in your mouth…"

_ Yes, _ Harry thought, squirming where he was bent over Paulo.  _ I want to find out what you taste like. _

Paulo's hand tightened in his hair, though, and pulled him off with a groan. "But I did promise Jan that he could watch me fuck you, so that will have to wait, yes?"

Harry whimpered and licked his lips longingly. "Yes, sir," he said, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Paulo laughed softly and let go of his hair, trailing his fingers down Harry's face. He rubbed his thumb back and forth across Harry's lower lip, pressing into his mouth. Harry sucked on the tip greedily, wishing that it was Paulo's dick instead.

Paulo groaned and pulled his hand away. "Why is it that everything you do make me want to lose control?"

Harry just blushed and shrugged, but Jan laughed.  _ "You see why I have trouble sometimes, yeah?"  _

"Oh, yes," Paulo answered, not taking his eyes off of Harry. "I see."

Harry shivered, but lowered his eyes to Paulo's dick again, reminding himself that he was supposed to be getting Paulo ready for him to ride.

He was clumsy getting the condom on-- he had a feeling that a bigger size would fit Paulo better, but this was all he had, and Paulo hadn't complained about it earlier. He was generous with the lube, though, enjoying the soft noises Paulo was making as he slid his slick hand up and down his shaft.

"Enough," Paulo said with a gasp, roughly pulling Harry on top of him. "I need you on my cock, now."

Harry whimpered and settled his knees on either side of Paulo's hips, guiding Paulo inside him with one hand, sighing as he sank down on him. He realised distractedly that it was noticeably easier for him to adjust this time.  _ Maybe I'm getting used to him already, _ he thought, dazed. _ Or maybe I'm just still stretched out from before. _

Whatever the reason, though, he couldn't contain a long, happy sigh as he came to rest with Paulo buried completely inside him.

_ "Fuck, look at you taking all of him, baby,"  _ he heard Jan moan, and Paulo groaned underneath him, reaching for his hips. He had always loved riding Jan; it gave him a fleeting feeling of power, without any of the responsibility of domination. He loved being at least nominally in control, able to set the pace that he wanted.

This time, the pace he wanted was hard and fast. Paulo had given him slow and gentle the first time, but now Harry was too worked up, too desperate, to settle for anything short of the urgency, the intensity he craved. He bounced on Paulo as eagerly as he ever had with Jan, too impatient to work his way up slowly.

Paulo's hands tightened on his hips, but he didn't try to slow Harry down; instead, he urged him on, moving him faster, slamming him down hard enough to make him cry out on every stroke.

_ "God, Wingzy, you're such a good boy,"  _ he heard from Paulo's phone. He glanced over, just long enough to see Jan look down and gasp.  _ "Oh fuck. Toby…" _

He wondered fleetingly what Toby was doing to make Jan sound like that, but Paulo was rolling his hips, thrusting up into him now, hard and urgent, and it drove everything else from his mind. "Yes," he whimpered. "I'm a good boy, I'm a good boy…"

He leaned forward to brace himself with his hands against Paulo's chest, squeezing his eyes shut against the building intensity. He was beginning to lose himself, forgetting about everything but the gorgeous man underneath him and his dick inside Harry, making him come apart at the seams.

He was whimpering, moaning, making all kinds of incomprehensible noises. Or maybe they were comprehensible; he had no idea if he was saying actual words or not at this point. If Paulo or Jan were saying anything either, it was lost on him. He was unraveling fast, he could feel the tension building up inside him, and underneath him Paulo was moaning, bucking his hips up, slamming into Harry almost brutally. Then he let go of one of Harry's hips and wrapped his hand around Harry's dick, and oh  _ god,  _ it was too much--

Harry flung his head back and wailed as he came, shaking as he emptied himself on Paulo's stomach. He felt Paulo's dick pulsing inside him, heard him groaning underneath him, and the knowledge that he could make someone like Paulo come undone like this only increased the overwhelming pleasure coursing through him.

He was only just starting to regain his senses when he heard more strangled groans, this time coming through the speakers of Paulo's phone. He prised one eye open a sliver, and was rewarded with the sight of Jan's gorgeous face utterly wrecked by his own orgasm.  _ "Toby,"  _ he gasped again and again. It seemed like he was trying to say other things as well, but speech appeared to be pretty much beyond him now.

Harry stared at him, drinking it in even as he came down, panting and still shaking. He could never get enough of watching Jan's face when he came, even if he wasn't the one making it happen. A little twinge of jealousy surfaced briefly, but Harry shoved it aside easily enough, considering he still had Paulo buried in him to the hilt.

He eased himself off now, wincing slightly. He was definitely going to be feeling this for a while. He grabbed blindly for a tissue, to clean his cum off of Paulo's abs, but Paulo stilled him with a hand on his wrist. Harry tore his eyes away from Jan to look down at Paulo questioningly, and wasn't entirely surprised to see a wicked smile on his face.

"You make a mess, eh?" Paulo said, his voice a low purr.

Harry nodded bashfully, mesmerised by Paulo's eyes. "Sorry, sir," he mumbled.

"Clean it up then, yes?"

"I--" Harry looked helplessly at the tissue box on his nightstand, then back at Paulo, who hadn't let go of his wrist yet.

"Ah, ah," Paulo rebuked him gently. "No tissue." He brought one hand up and tapped his fingertips against Harry's lips. "Use your mouth."

Harry's entire body flushed hot as he stared down at Paulo. Those eyes were as dangerous as ever, though, and he couldn't look at them for long. He lowered his eyes from Paulo's face to his stomach, assessing the task he'd been given. He scooted back a little ways so that he could get his mouth to where it needed to be without tying himself in knots, and licked tentatively at the nearest streak of his own cum. He was no stranger to the taste, of course, but he'd never tasted his own before, only Jan's. To his surprise, it didn't seem any different, really. It was a little odd to be licking himself off of Paulo, he supposed, but it was all too easy to close his eyes and pretend that it was Jan's cum instead, that Jan had been the one riding Paulo, the one that had come all over him, and now Jan had ordered Harry to clean up after him. With that thought in mind he set to work eagerly.

"What a good boy you are," Paulo murmured as Harry lapped at his skin enthusiastically. His voice was soft and dark as he ran gentle fingers through Harry's sweaty hair. "Jan, my love, I may not give him back to you, he is so good…"

Harry heard only a vague mumble in response, and raised his eyes briefly to the screen. Jan almost seemed to be asleep, but he still looked absolutely wrecked, his face flushed, beaded with sweat, his eyes still screwed up tightly as if he hadn't even come down from his peak yet.

"Jan?" Paulo asked, a little louder.  _ "Ben je oke, schatje?" _

_ "He's fine,"  _ Toby's voice replied, and this time he sounded hoarse and raw. His face appeared on the screen next to Jan's, smirking unabashedly at Paulo.  _ "He just came buckets in my mouth, is all." _ Sure enough, Harry could actually see cum dripping down Toby's chin as he reached for a tissue of his own to wipe himself off.  _ "I think he's just a little bit drained." _

"Why so much?" Paulo asked. Harry had been wondering the same thing.

_ "Oh, not all that surprising, really. That was the first time I let him come all week." _

Paulo let out a startled laugh, and Harry stopped what he was doing in surprise, earning a smart rap on his nose from Paulo's fingers. "You're not done yet," Paulo said sternly, then turned his attention back to Toby while Harry went back to his work, eyes stinging from the smack. The light humiliation was making something start to simmer inside him, though, something dark and exciting.

"All week?" Paulo asked Toby, sounding skeptical. "But you had him suck you every day, no?"

_ "Oh yes," _ Toby said in a deeply satisfied tone.  _ "Multiple times, most days." _

"And he never come once while he was doing this?"

Harry could almost hear the smirk in Toby's voice now.  _ "Nope. He wasn't allowed to touch himself at all, and I made him wear a cock cage pretty much all the time, so he couldn't even get hard." _

Jan stirred at this.  _ "Harry wasn't the only one who suffered this week," _ he mumbled weakly, his eyes hazy as he blinked sleepily at them.

Paulo laughed again, sounding absolutely delighted. "Very creative,  _ liefje," _ he complimented Toby. "I didn't think you would add on to his punishment."

_ "I hope it's okay,"  _ Toby said, sounding almost worried.

"Of course," Paulo said with a smile. "I'm proud of you for taking initiative with this." He glanced down at Harry, stroking his hair again as Harry finished lapping up the last of the cum stains from Paulo's skin. "I mean for him to be punished this week, and you did a good job of it."

_ "Too good," _ Jan muttered, but he was smiling too.  _ "Maybe you missed your calling, eh Tobes?" _

Toby snorted and shook his head, pressing a kiss to Jan's temple.  _ "Nah. It was fun, but to tell you the truth, I can't wait for things to get back to normal." _

Paulo laughed softly at that even as Harry crawled back up to cuddle into his side, feeling sleepy. Overall, he thought, it had been a good week. He may have won, technically, but in the spirit of it, he knew he had lost. Even his 'victory' wasn't a result of anything he had done, but was down to Paulo's generosity. And yet… Harry couldn't bring himself to be mad. It galled him to have to admit that Jan had been right, but he had never been happier to be proven wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap on this story. Whew, I cannot even tell you how long I've been trying to get here, not least because ayerlind and I have a whole bunch of stories in the pipeline that were waiting on this to be finished first. Super excited that this story is finally done, because there's so much more to come...
> 
> Come find me on tumblr at amethyst-fox-jv 😊


End file.
